


Ethan Nestor Hurt One Shots

by KasSgr4y



Category: CrankGameplays - Fandom, markiplier - Fandom
Genre: Amy Nelson - Freeform, Antisepticeye Sean McLoughlin, Bottom Ethan Nestor, Darkiplier Mark Fischbach, Ethan Nestor - Freeform, Ethan Nestor Needs a Hug, Ethan Nestor/Mark Fischbach - Freeform, Ethan needs a hug, Gay, Hurt Ethan Nestor, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Implied/Referenced Torture, Kidnapping, M/M, Mark Fischbach/Amy Nelson - Freeform, Mark Fischbach/Amy Nelson/Ethan Nestor - Freeform, Markiplier - Freeform, Platonic Relationships, References to Depression, Sad Ethan Nestor, Sean McLoughlin - Freeform, Touch-Starved, crankiplier - Freeform, protective markiplier
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-30
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:15:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 9
Words: 27,721
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28429143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KasSgr4y/pseuds/KasSgr4y
Summary: Do not read if your are against Male/Male relationships!This is a little book of one shots involving Ethan Nestor and some sort of physical and/or emotional pain.In no way am i insinuating that i wish anyone harm, these are simply for the pleasure of my own mind. however screwed up that may be.i write long chapters....Sorry EthanEnjoy!
Comments: 14
Kudos: 89





	1. Contents

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick chapter list. updated every time a new chapter is uploaded along with the date of upload.

**00:00:00**

** Chapter summery **

1\. Of Late night phone calls and Anger issues

2\. Paintball

3.Birthday wishes

4\. money Troubles

5\. Beneath the waves

6\. Dark As The days Come (Part one)

7\. in the name of love (part one)

8\. in the name of love (unofficial ending)

03/06/2021

**Requests are open and welcome. If you have any ideas you want written, put them in the comments and I'll do my best.**

I will not write:

extremely detailed smut

Age play

Cheating

Character death


	2. Of Late night Phone Calls and Anger issues

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ethan Goes out to a club...It doesn't end well.

**TW: Mentions of rape**

**A/N**

**I will not write the Rape scene in detail mainly because I don’t feel comfortable doing so but I will be writing the build-up and aftermath. If any one reading this feels like it is disrespectful in any way or that it is not suitable for this platform then leave a comment and I will do my best to amend the issue even if it means deleting the chapter. Read at your own risk. Enjoy!**

Music blared all around the room and bodies bumped against each other in a claustrophobic sweat. Ethan Laughed and swayed in time with the music, a few friends danced along with him. The feeling of euphoria hung thick in the air like a drug. Lights flashed in vibrant neon’s across sweaty skin. He felt free. His heart hammered in his chest as he allowed himself to drift away with the strumming of the music. Hours passed like seconds and he found himself in desperate need of a drink. He had stayed away from Alcohol all night, he was supposed to be the driver so alcohol was a no go. He drifted his way towards the bar signalling to the waiter for a water, and soon a refreshing glass of cold water was placed in front of him, the waiter gave him a warm smile before waltzing off to serve another customer. Ethan hummed in content as he took a desired sip of water, the liquid immediately easing his burning throat. Pure bliss.

“Excuse me” A gruff voice startled Ethan out of his state and he found himself looking at a man who could be no older than 28. The man had a rugged jaw line and deep brown eyes, he sported a recently shaved beard and his thick brown hair was pulled into a tight, short ponytail. He was tall, maybe 6’1, and well-built with wide shoulders and the hits of a six pack poking through his tight shirt. He was quite handsome, Ethan had to admit, but absolutely not his type.

“Can I help you?” Ethan muttered after realising that he had just been staring at the man without saying anything. The man didn’t reply, he simply took a seat next to Ethan at the bar, his chair slightly too close for Ethan’s liking but he pushed the rude thought away. The man was probably just being friendly.

“Jason” the man held his hand out. Ethan took the man’s hand, who he now knew as Jason, and shook it as firmly as he could.

“Ethan”

“you here alone Ethan?” Jason enquired, signalling the waiter for a drink. Something about the way the older man had said that didn’t sit right with Ethan but he answered anyway, pointing to his friends who were still dancing unaware in the far corner, Sion’s green hair stood out among the crowd. Ethan barely caught the way the man’s eyes changed. Something dark and unforgiving flickered in his Onyx pupils for a moment before it was gone and a warm smile plastered over his face.

The two continued small talk for a while, the uncertain feeling in Ethan’s stomach only became more prominent as time passed. He wanted to leave. Bringing his glass up to his lips, he took a long gulp, finishing the last of the cool liquid. Jason’s eyes never left his, the grin on his face only becoming wider as Ethan finished the glass. The glass. With a heavy heart Ethan glanced at his glass. The reminiscence of some sort of pill lay in miniscule lumps on the glass bottom, the majority of it clearly having been dissolved into the water. _Shit_. Ethan’s Face paled and his hands felt clammy. His eyes shot up to meet the dark orbs belonging to Jason but the image was foggy, unfocused.

“ ‘scuse me” He mumbled, throwing himself from his chair and making a beeline for the restroom. Bolting the heavy door behind him, he shot to the closest stall, shoving his fingers down his throat in a desperate attempt to clear the drug from his system. Nothing came up. Panicked, Ethan fumbled for his phone, the screen lit up revealing the Bold numbers . 1:43AM. Ethan knew that there was absolutely no way that mark would still be awake but he had to try.

BANG!

The Restroom door groaned at the pressure, the bolt holding still for now.

“Eeeethan” Jason’s voice rang out from the other side of the door. Ethan scrambled out of the stall, pressing himself under one of the sinks. He could feel the drug kicking in. The world around him became less and less solid and his vision was swimming. He fumbled with his phone, eventually pulling up Marks contact. He tapped on the call icon, brining his phone up to his ear, his other hand clamped around his ear as he pulled his legs up to his chest, a few hot tears spilled down his cheeks as Jason rammed into the door again.

RING.RING.RING.RING.

_Please mark._

RING. RING.

_Pick up pick up pick up._

RING. RING. RING

_Mark I need you please._

RING. RI-

“Hello” Ethan almost cried in relief when marks groggy voice crackled through the receiver.

“MARK! Oh Thank god, Ma-“

“What the hell Ethan! Its 2AM!...are you drunk?” Mark cut Ethan off, visibly angry at the interruption. Ethan barely registered Marks anger, panic taking over completely.

“ ‘ark Please! Come get me…he gonna-“ Ethan sobbed.

“ETHAN!” Mark Yelled causing than to flinch back violently, more sobs erupting up his throat. “ITS 2 AM! I TOLD YOU EARLIER THAT IF YOU GET DRUNK ITS NOT MY PROBLEM! DON’T CALL ME AGAIN UNTIL YOUR SOBER! YOU’RE A GOD DAMN ADULT, ETHAN, ACT LIKE IT!” and with that he hung up, leaving Ethan alone and vulnerable to Jason.

BANG!

**(TRIGGER WARNING)**

The restroom door slammed open as the bolt shattered under the mans weight. Ethan Shrunk further into himself, scrambling to get as far away from the man that now loomed in the arch of the door, a sick twisted smile on his face. Jason stepped into the bathroom, gently closing the broken door behind him. He watched as Ethan pressed himself into a corner weakly, the drug clearly already taking hold of the small boys mind. His limbs were succumbing to the numbness and his movements grew weaker. But the fear never left his eyes. Tear tracks stained his cheeks and his hands shook violently. Jason laughed, the sound cruel and malicious. Ethan whimpered as the man advanced towards him. With one swift motion Jason grabbed hold of one of Ethan’s ankles, pulling him out from the corner towards him. Ethan tried desperately to grab at one of the pipes behind him but it was too late. Jason pinned Ethan’s terrified body under his own as if he was rabbit in a wolfs mouth. Ethan whimpered loudly as Jason pinned his small wrists above his head with one hand. The cold concrete under his back stung as Jason pushed him into it, restraining the little movement he could have had. Even through the drug infused haze Ethan was encased in pure fear. The desire to be free from the mans grip ripped through his mind and he thrashed and screamed in the man’s grip, wishing against all odds that someone would hear his cries. But Jason quickly broke that hope, landing an agonising punch straight to Ethan’s cheek, successfully silencing the boys screams.

A thick, calloused hand wrapped round Ethan’s throat. Ethan’s eyes widened in panic as the oxygen around him was slowly cut off by the pressure but he couldn’t bring himself to fight back, instead his body made a few jerked movements as he gasped for breath. His chest rose and fell at an alarming pace. Jason admired the smaller boy as he suffered through the torment before leaning down to Ethan’s ear.

“im gonna need you to calm down, baby boy, can you do that for me” he Whispered. Ethan felt sick. How dare this psycho talk to him like that. But he wasn’t in a position to argue so he gingerly nodded his head as more tears pricked in his eyes.

“good boy” Ethan sucked in a much needed breath as the pressure on his throat was lifted, his back arched off the ground as he regained the lost oxygen. The relief was once again short lived as one of Jason’s enormous hands found its way to Ethan’s wrists, pinning them in place and a pair of cracked lips latched onto Ethan’s jaw, kissing hungrily down his neck. Ethan felt like he was gonna throw up. He sobbed heavily as Jason continued kissing Ethan’s soft skin. His other hand roamed across Ethan’s chest, under his shirt. Ethan could do nothing but sob out as the man above him touched him. He felt no pleasure from the mans actions, he felt nothing but dirty.

Ethan’s breath hitched as the mans hands brushed over his lower abdomen, coming to rest at the waistline of his jeans. In a final attempt to stop the inevitable, Ethan twisted his torso, tugging against the mans grip but the drug made him feel like his limbs were encased in stone. The attempt was futile and Jason easily pinned Ethan’s body back against the concrete. Jason’s Cold eyes met Ethan’s terrified, broken ones and a sick smile emerged.

“Lets get rid of these shall we” in one swift moment, Jason removed Ethan’s Clothes, taking away the last sense of security the younger boy felt and leaving him completely exposed to the older mans sick fantasies.

**(TRIGGER WARNING OVER)**

Mark awoke the next morning with a fresh mind. He was eager to film that days video and ideas for what he and Ethan could do that day flowed into his mind like a river. It was rare that he was in such a good mood in the mornings so he decided to try and make the most of it, starting with making himself and Amy a delicious breakfast.

The events of earlier that morning were completely forgotten in a tired daze but Mark could sense that there was something that he had forgotten. This happened often so he wasn’t to worried, he probably just forgot to lock the door or something.

Marks morning passed quickly and before he knew it, he found himself sitting in his filming room anxiously awaiting Ethan’s arrival, excited to film the video for that day. But the boy never came. Half an hour passed and there was no sign of Ethan. It wasn’t exactly uncommon that Ethan was late, between his busy filming schedule and caring for spencer Ethan hardly ever made it to filming on time but even then he was only ever 10 minutes late or he would call if he was going to be later than that. But it had been nearly 45 minutes and Ethan hadn’t even called.

Mark recalled Ethan Saying that he was going out to a club the night before with some friends so Mark wasn’t too worried.

“He probably just had a little to much to drink and is running late” He told Amy when She asked why Ethan was taking so long. She hummed in agreement, and they both turned their attention back to their laptops.

Another 30 minutes passed and mark was getting angry. Ethan wasn’t an irresponsible kid, which was why mark was even more angry. If he didn’t want to come because he had been drinking a little to much then he should at least call to let Mark know so that Mark could go and do other stuff. But no, instead he was left waiting for the younger boy to turn up.

“try calling him?” Amy suggested, sensing Marks agitation.

Mark picked up his phone, quickly finding Ethan’s contact and pressing the call icon.

RING! RING! RING! RING! RING! RING! RING!RI-

“The person you are try-“ Mark hung up. Stupid automated messaging.

“nothing?” Amy looked as confused as Mark felt. Maybe Ethan had slept in.

“Do you remember who he went out with? Maybe he stayed with one of them” Mark asked.

Amy listed everyone she could remember and mark called them all one by one, but the response he got everytime was the same.

“nah man, Haven’t seen him since last night”

“im pretty sure he went home, dude”

“He’s not with me”

Finally, Mark tried the last known person that was With Ethan the night before. Sion picked up almost immediately, his cheery Irish accent blasting through the speaker.

“Mark! What’s up man”

“hey Sion, Ethan’s not with you is he?” Mark cut straight to the point.

“nah, I haven’t seen him since the club last night” Sion’s voice was automatically concerned. “why? Is he okay?”

“I don’t know man, he never showed up for filming and his phone went straight to voicemail. I don’t know, he probably just had a bit to much to drink last night” Mark laughed nervously.

“I don’t think so, as far as I know, he didn’t drink a drop the whole night. He was actually supposed to drive us home but he disappeared and we had to take a cab” Okay, now Mark was worried. Disappearing like that was not something that Ethan normally did.

“he hasn’t tried to call you at all?” Mark could hear just how worried Sion was. They both cared for Ethan a lot.

“I vaguely remember picking up the phone last night, it might have been Ethan but I was half asleep” There was a pause as Mark recalled the phone call as best as he could. “It was definitely Ethan. His words were slurred, I don’t…I can’t remember what he was saying, something about someone finding him… it sounded like he was laughing…” Mark’s eyes widened when he realised his mistake. “Shit! He wasn’t laughing, he was crying…Fuck. And I yelled at him!” the notion that Ethan could have been in danger and he rejected him over a couple of minutes of missed sleep weighed heavily on mark.

“Mark! Mark calm down okay, we’ll find him okay, why don’t you go over to his place and see if he’s there, I’ll meet you there in 45 Minutes, okay?” Sion Assured. Mark nodded numbly, hanging up the phone and rushing to grab his keys.

It was almost 20 minutes later when Mark and Amy pulled up to Ethan’s house. His car was in the driveway so that was a good sign. Mark and Amy exited the car and walked to the front door. Even from next to the car, Mark could hear spencer howling inside the home. That didn’t settle well with Mark, spencer was normally quite a quiet dog. Nevertheless, the two approached the front door. For a second, mark thought about knocking but something caught his eye, the latch was off. The door was open. Amy and Mark exchanged confused, worried glances. Ethan NEVER leaves his door unlocked. Hesitantly, Mark pushed open the door only to be met by a wave of fur jumping up at him. Just by looking at the small dog, mark could tell something was seriously wrong. The small dog’s tail was tucked between his legs and he basically radiated anxiety.

“it’s okay buddy, where’s Ethan, boy?” Mark comforted the small dog before turning his attention back to the hall in front of him. Spencer trotted off upstairs seemingly satisfied that someone had showed him some attention.

“I’ll check the upstairs side, you do the downstairs?” Amy turned and headed towards the stairs, sending her boyfriends a reassuring smile before disappearing upstairs. Mark cautiously headed for Ethan’s living room. Nothing out of the ordinary. The couch seemed relatively untouched, and there was no sign of Ethan. Next was the kitchen. The minute Mark rounded the corner into Ethan’s Kitchen his breath caught in his throat.

“Ethan!” Mark rushed forward, falling to his knees on the wooden floor next to Ethan’s unconscious body. Marks hands flitted over Ethan’s body, taking in the visible damage, unsure of what to do. The boy’s neck donned a multitude of sickening blue and purple bruises that looked suspiciously like handprints, and he had a rather swollen black eye. His shirt was ripped and buttoned up incorrectly. And what was most alarming to Mark was the fact that his belt and button of his jeans were unbuttoned and even through the black material he could see the stain of what looked like blood.

“Oh god Ethan” Tears tumbled down Marks cheeks as he cradled his friend- no, brother- to his chest. The guilt of pushing ethan away when he needed him the most crushed mark to no ends. Ethan was his responsibility and he hadn’t helped him because he found sleep to be more important, and now Ethan was lying unconscious on his kitchen floor and mark had absolutely no idea what do do.

“He’s no up- Holy shit” Amy sprinted to Marks side when she realised the severity of the situation, tears gathered in her eyes and a small gasp left her mouth as she assessed the bruises around his neck. “Oh Ethan” silence ensued as mark lifted Ethan’s body off the ground and placed him carefully onto the couch, neither were quite sure what to do.

“Hello? Mark? Ethan?” Sion’s voice cut through the silence , bringing Mark and Amy out of their thoughts.

“We’re in the l-living room” Marks voice cracked as he spoke, a chocked sob spilling from his throat.

Sion stopped dead when he saw the scene in front of him. It was clear, even from a distance that Ethan wasn’t just sleeping. The poor boy was shaking, small whimpers escaping him every few seconds.

“Shit Ethan” he rushed forwards, sucking in a gasp when he noticed the bruising around the youngers neck and cheek. “Amy can you get some Ice and some painkillers” He paused as Amy hastily rushed off to grab supplies, Mark just continued to stare in shock. “Mark?” he placed a reassuring hand on marks shoulder. “Mark? Ethan needs you right now, I need you, okay?” Mark just nodded slightly, showing Sion that he had his attention. “Okay, we need to take Ethan’s shirt off so we can asses the damage done okay”

Slowly, the two men unbuttoned Ethan’s Shirt, lifting Ethan’s torso up slightly, allowing the soft fabric to slide of the youngers body. Neither Mark nor Sion could contain their sobs as they finally saw the extent of the damage. Anger bubbled in their veins. Dark hand shaped bruises flowered all over the boys small torso and arms and countless Hickeys stained his neck and chest. It was clear to both men what had happened to the boy that they care about so much.

Amy almost fell to her knees when she returned to the room. She took in the damage with a heavy heart. Sadness and Shock filled her. Taking a deep breath, she shuffled forwards, gently pushing sion aside so that she could ice Ethan’s injuries. The two men watched on in silence, tears dripping down their faces. All they could do was sit and wait for Ethan to wake up.

**I’ll Maybe do a small part two of Ethan waking up at some point but this chapter was getting too long.**


	3. Paintball

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark tries to get his paintball shot on Ethan, not knowing the real reason why Ethan was so terrified to take the shot. 1 hostage situation and a panic attack later and the truth is revealed.

**TW: Gun violence, PTSD**

**This is a take on one of their Unus Annus videos but im changing a lot of the details. In this story, Ethan was the victim of a mugging only a few months prior.**

The video started out pretty uneventful and Ethan was actually having a lot of fun despite originally being hesitant about the video to begin with. Mark had come up with the brilliant idea to recreate a hostage situation and have them both try to escape it. Mark had begun the video by explaining that they were going to demonstrate how to tie some of the knots on each other and then they would try to escape them, then after that, the two would be blindfolded and tied up and they would both have to escape. Ethan went first, attempting to tie mark up as best as he could. A feeling of warmth spread through his chest as he admired his work. He had thought that his knots were quite well done. The warmth disappeared when mark easily broke from his bonds, the proud smile on his face faltered slightly but he quickly covered it up with a laugh as mark criticized his work.

“you call that a knot?!” He laughed, holding up the now untied rope. “Even a baby could escape that”

“At least I tried” Ethan huffed, pushing the sinking feeling to the back of his mind. This was supposed to be a bit of fun, he reminded himself.

The two continued on filming, Ethan tried a few other knots on Mark, all of which mark found harder and harder to escape from. Eventually the two switched over and it was Marks turn to restrain Ethan. To say that Ethan was nervous would be an understatement. He had a bad history with this kind of thing and he knew that one little mishap during this video could bring out everything he had been trying to hide since it happened. Nevertheless, he pushed forwards, forcing his memory to the back of his mind and slowing his breathing to supress the panic that surged in him the moment Mark pulled his wrists behind him. Surprisingly, that portion of the video went by pretty quickly and Ethan was able to push past the memories haunting him and just enjoy the video. Not surprisingly, he found it particularly difficult to escape the restraints that mark placed him in no matter how hard he tugged at them but he didn’t let it get to him, Mark was particularly gifted at knot tying.

The second half of the video rolled around quickly and the dread began to pool in Ethan’s stomach again. All sense of excitement left him the minute the blindfold was placed over his eyes, enveloping him in darkness. His heart thundered in his chest as he was almost forcibly pushed into a chair. His breathing picked up slightly when someone grabbed his wrists, tightly binding to the arms of the chair. Tears stung his eyes as he felt hands roughly tugging his legs towards the legs of the chair. He was scared, that much was obvious. But Ethan tried to push back the fear, mark was right next to him, his friends were there, it was just a video. It’s not real. Ethan was pulled out of his thoughts as mark began speaking, to him or the camera, Ethan wasn’t sure but he tried to focus on Marks words. Anything to keep him from slipping.

“Alright, remember what we did in the first part of the video?” Mark started, keeping his tone as serious as he could while looking directly at the camera, a smirk evident on his face. It would be easy for the viewers to see that Mark was not in the same position as Ethan: he was not wearing a blindfold, his wrists and ankles weren’t tightly bound (instead, a loose double knot held him in place), and he wasn’t shaking. The last detail was something that no one in the room picked up on. “we’re going to have to use those skills to escape this, 5 minutes on the clock, are you ready?” Ethan nodded slightly before realising that mark couldn’t actually see him, so he mumbled out a small ‘yes’ in acknowledgement.

And it began, Ethan pulled and tugged at the restraints in a futile attempt to escape. Frustration built up as more and more time passed and exhaustion set in. Amy called the half way mark and Ethan felt as if he was about to cry. Mark had called that he had his ankles free nearly a minute ago but Ethan didn’t even think his restraints had gotten any looser. Panic began to built up as memories from the cold night back in early February that year. Ethan’s tugging slowed as he memories filled his brain but he fought as hard as he could to push them back along with the tears that followed, desperate to be anywhere but where he was.

“God Damnit!” Mark exclaimed making Ethan flinch slightly. Mark watched Ethan struggle with an ever present smirk on his face, oblivious to the boys panic. Ever so often he would make a comment about being unable to get his wrists free and watch as the younger boy increased his movements to free himself. 4 minutes approached and it was clear to Mark that Ethan wasn’t getting anywhere with his ropes.

“its time” me mouthed to Amy, so that Ethan couldn’t hear him. Not that Ethan was focusing much on what Mark was saying. Silently, Mark rose from his chair and headed towards the supply cupboard, re-entering the room a few seconds later holding a paintball gun. The sinister smirk never left his face as he approached Ethan’s unaware, struggling form. Mark looked at Amy for a second to make sure that she was filming the scene before pressing the barrel of the gun against the back of Ethan’s head. The boys stilled. Mark stifled a laugh, blissfully unaware of the traumatic memories pouring through the youngers head.

“You know what’s happening right?” Mark basically laughed. Ethan didn’t move. Receiving no answer Mark pulled the blindfold off. Ethan snapped his eyes shut at the light and mark took the opportunity to move in front of the trembling boy. A few people in the room stifled a laugh at the boys reaction.

When Ethan opened his eyes he froze. The only thing he could register was the barrel of the gun pointed straight at him. He shut his eyes again for a spit second only to be assaulted with memories of the Harsh rain and tight rope around his wrist as gunshots rung through the air. He snapped his eyes open again, a few tears finally bubbling over. Mark didn’t seem to notice the tears slowly trickling down the boys face as he backed up to the other end of the room.

“M-mark” Ethan’s voice came out as barely a whisper, trembling with fear.

“Ethan” Mark didn’t pick up on the boys fear, continuing to taunt him. “You know what’s happening”

“P-please…p-lease don’t” Ethan’s eyes were wide in pure terror, focused on the gun in Marks hand.

“Don’t be a baby” Mark laughed at the obvious stutter in Ethan’s voice.

“P-please don’t” Ethan tugged at his bonds again, desperate to be free from the chair but it was futile, the ropes were to tight.

“10 feet Ethan” Mark smirked clicking the safety off the gun.

The sound of the gun clicking brought an onslaught of flashbacks to Ethan. Memories of the cold metal of the gun pressed against his head and the harsh taunts of his attackers as they restrained him against the rough concrete. Panic seized him as he began to thrash around in the chair. Harsh, agonizing screams erupted from his throat as hot tears flooded his face.

“STOP! DON’T PLEASE! LET ME GO!” Raw screams echoed through the house. The room went silent as Ethan screamed. Mark watched, frozen as the young boy he had come to love was reduced to terrified screams. The paintball gun in his hand fell to the floor with a clunk and Mark flung himself forwards to try and calm Ethan.

“Ethan! Ethan! Hey buddy, Your okay…your okay” He tried to keep his tone as calm as he could as he ripped the ropes off Ethan’s wrists and ankles. Ethan’s Thrashing didn’t die down, instead, he propelled himself from the chair and pushed himself into the closet corner, hugging his knees to his chest as strangled sobs erupted through the stunned silence.

“p-please don’t…” Ethan’s mumbled out broken cries for help. His screaming died down to hiccupping and sobbing. His entire body shook with pure terror.

“Ethan, it’s me. Its Mark… Im not going to hurt you….you’re Okay” Mark placed a reassuring hand on the younger boys shoulders, tears falling from his own eyes. Ethan’s terrified eyes snapped up to meet marks pained ones.

“M-mark?” Ethan Sobbed, finally taking in the room around him.

“oh Ethan” Mark Gathered Ethan into his arms, pulling the boy into a tight hug and gently peppered the top of his head with little kisses. Anything to comfort the boy. After what felt like hours, Ethan’s crying ceased to barely audible hiccups. Marks grip on the boy didn’t falter. Questions spiralled through everyone’s heads, questions that they knew needed answers. Marks glanced up at Amy, tears danced down her face. Everyone was in shock. Slowly, Mark pulled Ethan’s tired body away from his own, gently guiding his chin, causing the boy to meet his eyes.

“Ethan, I need you to tell me what happened?” He kept his voice as gentle as possible, afraid that the boy would break. Ethan looked down, embarrassment hot on his cheeks. “i…um…-“ Ethan squeezed his eyes shut, desperate to block the memories fighting their way back into his head. Marks hand found his, squeezing reassuringly.

“Take your time”

There was a moment of silence before Ethan spoke again, his voice unsteady. “Back in February” he kept his gaze locked on the floor “I was walking home from somewhere. I-I don’t remember where…but i…um…I took a wrong turn and…uhh…I e-ended up in a bad part of the c-c-city” small tears dripped down his cheeks. “They came out of n-nowhere...and…um…one of them…” he took a deep breath, finally looking mark in the eye. “One of them had a gun”

Marks heart broke at the sight. He reached up a gentle hand to wipe away a stray tear, his heart melting when the younger boy leaned into his touch. “Eth…why did you keep that from us?”

“I didn’t want you to get hurt”

Mark was stunned, Ethan had kept something so traumatic to himself for months because he didn’t want mark to get hurt. He couldn’t quite understand.

“they knew who I was mark…they knew who you were…they wanted…t-they wanted your personal information, t-things that would really hurt you” Ethan sobbed “I c-couldn’t let them do that to y-you, so I reused…t-they were going to k-kill me Mark…id b-be dead right now i-if…” he trailed off as more sobs wracked his frame.

“if what?” Mark was desperate to know what had saved his Ethan. He was furious, someone had attacked Ethan to get at him! And someone was going to pay for it! “…if you hadn’t called” Marks eyebrows furrowed, he vaguely remembered a phone call with Ethan in February, his voice was shaky and hoarse but Mark had thought that Ethan had just been playing video games again.

“I answered the phone before they had a chance too and they got spooked, thought I was gonna get the cops involved so they ran…you saved me Mark” Marks heart thundered in heart.

“No. I nearly got you killed”


	4. Birthday Wishes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Its Ethan's 21st Birthday and all he wants to do is spend it with his best friends. unfortunately that doesn't quite go to plan.

**TW: Self Harm, self-hate**

To say Ethan was excited would be an understatement. The day had finally come, he was 21. Of course this meant that he could drink legally and stuff, but it also meant that he could spend his birthday celebrating with all of his LA friends. HE had woken up that morning feeling oddly happy and good humoured, something that he wasn’t all that familiar with anymore, and he never wanted the feeling to end.

From what Ethan could tell about Mark, he was quite extravagant about Birthdays, just a few weeks prior he had set up a huge surprise party for Amy and a few months before that he had flown Sion home to Ireland for his birthday surprise. Ethan wasn’t expecting anything like that, hell, he wasn’t even expecting a present because he didn’t really care about that. What Mark had given him since asking him to Move out to LA to work for him was more that Ethan could ever have asked for and he just wanted to spend his birthday celebrating with the people he loved most. He had mentioned this to them all a couple of weeks ago and they had all agreed to do something for Ethan’s birthday together.

He rolled out of bed and headed towards his bathroom to get ready for the day. After a hot shower Ethan returned to his bedroom, quickly grabbing his phone from the bedside table.

**1,804 twitter notifications**

**418 Instagram notifications**

**2 text messages.**

His heart swelled at the thought of his beloved fans sending him some birthday messages. He scrolled through them for a few minutes, smiling and giggling at the sweetest and funniest ones. God he loved his fans. Next were the text messages. Both from his parents, wishing him a happy birthday and promising to talk to him later. He tried to push down the sinking feeling that none of his friends had said anything yet _. It was still pretty early right? Its only 10Am…and They all have busy schedules, they would text him when they have the time._ Regardless, he put his phone down and headed to the kitchen to collect Spencer for his morning walk.

It was nearly midday when Ethan returned from taking Spencer for a walk and boy was he hungry. He reached into his cupboards, pulling out some bread before heading to his fridge to look for something to fill his sandwich with, his stomach grumbled the entire time as a constant reminder for attention. His efforts paused when his phone vibrated in his pocket. He smiled at the contact name lighting up his screen. Mark.

“Hey Mark”

“I need you to come over as soon as you can to film something” The smile vanished and he swallowed thickly. No ‘hey Ethan, Happy Birthday’…okay.

“um, sure…when do you want me around?” Ethan tried to hide the disappointment in his voice, he had already told mark that he didn’t want to be filming on his birthday, he couldn’t have forgotten could he?

“now would be great. Alright see you in a bit” and he hung up, not even saying goodbye. Ethan’s chest felt tight and his heart stung. Mark hadn’t even given him a chance to object. Disregarding the sandwich half made on the counter, suddenly feeling a lack of appetite, he grabbed his filming bag and his car keys not wanting to annoy mark by being late.

It was nearly an hour later when he pulled up to marks house because LA traffics a bitch.

“Mark?” he called out when he didn’t immediately see the older man waiting for him like usual.

There was a rush of movement and Mark rounded the corner carrying a back pack and his car keys. He looked like he was dressed up for something.

“a-are we going somewhere?” Ethan was confused.

“ **We’re** not going anywhere, **im** going somewhere and I need you to stay here and edit.” Mark rushed out somewhat harshly, heading for the door. Ethan’s heart caught in his throat.

“I thought you said we were going to film” There was an unsettling heavy feeling in Ethan’s stomach.

“look man, something came up and I have to go. We’ll film another time. I’ve left the footage on the desk” And with that he was out the door and gone.

The house was eerily silent as Ethan stared down at his phone. It was now nearly 2 Pm and he had yet to receive a single Happy birthday message from any of his friends. He felt cold. A single, hot tear rolled down his face quickly followed by another and another until they coated his cheeks. They’d forgotten.

**(TRIGGER WARNING)**

A hollow feeling replaced the light hearted happiness that had met him in the morning. His skin itched for the familiar feeling of cold metal and this time he couldn’t stop himself. Before he could even think he found himself collapsing on the cold tiled floor of marks bathroom clutching the damned piece of metal tightly in his hand. Gasped Desperate sobs echoed through the lonely air as crimson red painted the floor. And broken tears washed away the remanence of the hope Ethan once held onto like a guideline.

**(Trigger warning Over)**

After a forever of silent crying Ethan pulled himself up off the bloody bathroom floor, quickly…expertly… cleaning up any evidence of the hellish deed that was committed only a few moments prior before shuffling into Marks Office to begin the gruelling task of editing. His stomach growled constantly reminding him that he had yet to eat anything that day but he didn’t care, he didn’t have much of an appetite anymore anyways, a solemn sickness rested in his stomach. He pulled his arms around his waist hugging the soft fabric of Marks hoodie that he had adorned to fight the constant chill that wracked his body and stared blankly at the computer in front of him. The video took around 3 hours to edit but he was thankful for the distraction, the minutes ticked by and the pressure in his chest increased the longer he waited. Thoughts consumed him the more time went on. _Did he not remind them. Did they not know. Did they not care about him. Were they doing this on purpose_ … the more he thought about it, the more he came to the conclusion that they were ignoring his birthday on purpose, after all, it was all over twitter. He pulled his knees up to his chest, sobbing violently as an overpowering emotion of betrayal and sadness washed over him.

RING! RING!

Ethan was startled out of his trance at the harsh sound of his phone ringing. He almost couldn’t bring himself to look at the screen…almost…and then he wished he hadn’t. Marks name flashed across the screen in bold letters. A soft whimper left his mouth almost immediately followed by a hiccup.

“H-hello?” His voice sounded scratchy and painfilled but mark didn’t seem to notice.

“Ethan, i forgot to let you know before I left, that there’s another card in the camera with footage that I need you to edit for tomorrow’s post. It might take a while so feel free to crash in one of the spare rooms afterwards. Alright, bye” and he hung up.

It was clear through the call that Mark was at some sort of party. The blaring music amalgamated with the loud chatter echoing through the receiver left no room for doubt. Ethan’s heart sank for the millionth time that day. He had thought Mark had been called to an important event or interview, not a fucking party. First He forgets Ethan’s 21st birthday, then he calls him over to film and ditches him for a party. Who does that. But Ethan couldn’t bring himself to hate the man, if anything he hated himself for what was happening. He didn’t know why but he did. And he let it consume him, editing Marks second video through tear filled eyes.

It was nearly midnight when Ethan finally wrapped up the videos. His stomach had stopped grumbling at him a couple of hours ago, dying down to a dull ache. He had messaged Kathrine earlier to ask her to take spencer out so he didn’t have to worry about him, and it was a good thing too because he was shattered, physically and mentally. Sighing, he wiped a few stray tears from his cheeks and stumbled his way towards Marks spare bedroom. The tears didn’t stop flowing as he readied himself for sleep and they didn’t stop as he dragged his exhausted body to the bed, and they didn’t stop as he forced himself through his splitting headache into a restless slumber. What he didn’t realise through his hazy exhaustion was that the walls of the spare room were oddly well decorated, and the desk looked somewhat overused, and the bedsheets smelled just a little too familiar…

Mark was having a great time. Sion had invited him to a huge party out of the blue only a couple minutes after he had called Ethan. And mark wasn’t usually one to abandon friends but something had taken over him and he had agreed to the party before he even had the chance to contradict himself, the thought of asking Ethan to come with him hadn’t even crossed his mind so he had mumbled up some half-hearted excuse to the boy when he had showed up at marks door ready to film whatever mark had planned. And the thing was…he didn’t even feel bad about it… until about an hour after he made that second phone call. He had been so caught up in having fun and relaxing from work, that he hadn’t even stopped to think of how Ethan must have been feeling. The poor boy worked night and day to edit and film, and mark had just abandoned him. A heavy feeling rushed through his heart and he found himself standing outside, trying to steady his thoughts. Something was missing. There was something he was forgetting…but what…

Mark thought back to the phone call, suddenly verry guilty that he hadn’t let Ethan say more than just a quick hello, he knew how much the boy loved to speak. But something about the way Ethan had spoken what little words he said bugged Mark to no ends. He sounded…broken? No, that couldn’t be the right word, he sounded torn. Like he was in pain. Marks eyebrows furrowed as he tried to pinpoint what could be making his Ethan upset. Maybe he could hear the party and he was upset that he wasn’t invited… that had to be it right? But Mark was confused, how could he be upset that he wasn’t invited when he wasn’t even old enough to attend? Questions swarmed through Marks Mind as he pulled out his phone to check the boys social media, maybe he had posted something that could clue mark in to his emotional turmoil.

He opened Instagram first, quickly looking up Ethan’s account but found nothing new. Next was twitter. The moment Mark opened the app he knew he royally fucked up

@CrankGamePlays HAPPY BIRTHDAY EEF

@CrankGamePlays HAVE A GREAT BIRTHDAY

@CrankGamePlays BIRTHDAY BOI

@CrankGamePlays HES 21 WHOOO!

Hundreds of tweets filled his screen, each one wishing Ethan a fantastic Birthday. Guilt consumed Mark as he stared at his screen. It was Ethan’s Birthday….and he forgot. Mark couldn’t think properly, all he could think of was how horribly he had treated the boy who looked up to him so much. Forgetting the Party, he scrambled for his car, desperate to get home and apologise to Ethan.

He burst through his front door almost 30 minutes later. The house was silent…too silent. But Mark knew he was here, his car was still parked outside. Without missing a beat, he made his way towards the office but when he got there he found it empty, the remanence of Ethan’s work notes were the only indication that he had even been there at all. Mark was once again confused, Normally there’s an array of food wrappers and plates stacked high on the desk, particularly from long work days and yet there was nothing. And Mark couldn’t even recall seeing any dishes in the sink. Something was definitely wrong. _Well duh, you forgot his fucking birthday fuckboat_. Mark almost laughed at the sarcasm of his internal monologue pointing out the obvious. Sighing, he switched off the light, encasing the room in a looming darkness before turning on his heel and heading for the spare bedroom. He paused at the door, his hand hovering over the doorknob. He hadn’t thought his far, what was he going to say, there’s no way a simple apology is going to fix it. Sighing again, he pushed open the door bracing himself slightly…but the room was empty, no sign of Ethan anywhere. Tired, mark headed for the comfort of his own bedroom, if he couldn’t find Ethan right now, he would do it in the morning once he had had a decent sleep.

Pushing his bedroom door open he froze. What he did not expect was to find Ethan fast asleep on **his** bed, curled up in a small ball clenching the sheets tightly to his chest. As if he couldn’t get any more adorable, mark realised that Ethan was wearing on of Marks Favourite hoodies. He stepped closer, coming to rest by Ethan’s side. The smile on Marks face faltered. Visible tear tracks stained Ethan’s red cheeks, his eyebrows furrowed as though he was in pain, and small almost inaudible whimpers left him everytime he moved around. He looked so tiny, so exhausted. And Mark hated himself for causing Ethan so much pain.

Gently, he pushed a stray strand of hair out of Ethan’s eyes, his chest constricting tightly as guilt filled tears formed in his eyes. Mark knew he didn’t deserve to cry because he had been the one to cause Ethan all the pain he was feeling but he couldn’t help it, the more he took in the boys tear stained cheeks, the more uncontrollable his own tears became until his cheeks too were coated in salty tears.

“Shit Eth…i- Im so sorry” he whispered, his voice breaking.

Something caught his eye. A red stain peeked out of a fold of the sheets where Ethan clutched them to his chest. At first Mark thought he had imagined it, but the more he looked, the more Ethan moved, the more prominent the stain became. Sucking in a breath Mark gingerly reached out, gently pulling the sheets from Ethan’s grasp. He froze. There was no doubt in Marks mind what the stain was. Even in the dull moonlight the vivid red could left no room for imagination. His eyes widened, staring in shock at the younger boy, immense sadness and guilt rushing through him. Slowly, mark grasped one of Ethan’s small wrists in his hand, suddenly concerned at how skinny Ethan actually was. Mark thought he would accidently Snapp Ethan’s wrist if squeezed just a little too harshly, and that scared Mark. As if on cue, Ethan’s stomach let out a harsh growl, causing the boy to shift slightly, clutching at his stomach with his one free hand. The lack of muscle and the growling stomach was something mark made a mental note to bring up later but for now he had to concentrate on the issue at hand. He clenched his Eyes shut for a few seconds, hoping against all hope that he was just being paranoid, before pulling Ethan’s arm out towards him and rolling up his sleeve. Mark couldn’t help the choked sob that erupted from his throat. Hundreds of deep lines crisscrossed Ethan’s pale skin, the freshest of which were still oozing thick crimson blood.

“oh eth-“ He couldn’t even bring himself to finish the sentence as he stared down at the younger boy he had come to love. The very notion that Ethan had hurt himself caused a deep rift to open in marks heart and an overwhelming surge of emotions filled him. He couldn’t contain himself, gathering up the smaller boy in his arms he hugged him as close as he possibly could, sobbing into the top of his hair.

Ethan stirred, the jostling of being pulled into a warm chest waking him from his restless sleep. Confusion washed over him as he realised that someone was holding him. The confusion faded only to be replaced with a deep seated wave of pure fear. Snapping his eyes open, he scrambled back basically falling off the bed before he managed to push himself into a corner, trembling as fresh tears burned his eyes. He watched as mark slowly pushed himself up off of his knees where he had been kneeling next to Ethan and began to slowly walk towards him, There was a look in Marks eyes that Ethan couldn’t quite place…Sadness, betrayal…love? That couldn’t be it, Ethan thought, mark hated him remember. He couldn’t quite remember when he had started to notice the changes in Marks behaviour or when the loving jokes turned into taking every possible moment to make sure that Ethan knew Mark was better than him. He couldn’t quite remember when the man he admired the most had started to hate him.

“m-mark…” Mark stopped dead in his tracks. The utter fear that trembled through Ethan’s voice was enough to keep him rooted in place. For the fist time since stepping foot in his room he paused , his mind clearing slightly allowing him to take in Ethan’s trembling form. Cold tears flooded his blotchy cheeks, His eyes blown wide in terror. His legs trembled as they struggled to keep his body upright. His arms were drawn into his chest which heaved heavily with laboured breaths. He looked So fragile…so scared.

Mark held his hands out in front of him, sort of as a gesture that he meant no harm but mark wasn’t really sure.

“You’re okay Ethan. Just breath. Your fine” He gently coaxed as he slowly made his way towards Ethan trying to keep him out of the inevitable panic attack he was facing. The moment he reached Ethan he pulled the smaller boy into a gentle hug. His arms tightened as he felt Ethan’s weight collapse against him as the younger boys shoulders wracked with sobs. Marks heart stung as he slowly lowered both of their body’s onto the bed.

“Shhh…I got you, I got you” Eventually Ethan’s Violent sobs died down to quiet whimpers and hiccups but his body still trembled. There was a lamp in marks throat as he held onto Ethan, A sinking, guilty feeling knowing that he was the one to cause Ethan such pain.

“Mark….”

“Its okay, I got you” Silent tears dropped onto the top of Ethan’s head.

“h-how could you….y-you promised” Ethan’s voice was broken, in pain.

“I…im so sorry Ethan. There’s nothing I can say to excuse what I’ve done…but please, please let me make it up to you.”

Ethan just nodded in acknowledgement, to exhausted to really do anything else but marks heart held a little bit of hope that Ethan had given him an opportunity. His mind was already coming up with as many different ideas to surprise Ethan for his birthday when a very sombre thought came to mind. _Why didn’t Ethan just spend his birthday with his other friends_? There was an uncomfortable feeling in Marks chest as he hugged the younger boy closer to him but he hoped against all odds that he was wrong…

“Ethan?” The man kept his voice gentle and soft, a reassuring tone to calm Ethan. It seemed to work because Ethan’s soft blueish eyes were soon peeking up at him, red rimmed and glistening.

“Eth…Please. Please tell me it was just me that forgot…” Marks voice trailed off at the look on Ethan’s face, confirming the horrible reality that Ethan had been completely alone on HIS birthday. “Oh Eth…Im so sorry. God I should have remembered”

“its okay.” Ethan sniffled “its my fault, no one remembered so I guess I just didn’t remind them, right?” Mark stared down at Ethan in shock. How could he sit there and blame himself for the mistakes of others. Mark wouldn’t stand for it.

“Ethan I need you to listen to me as closely as possible okay” Ethan gave a small nod. “ **WE** forgot your birthday Eth, not you. This was **OUR** mistake, not yours. And I can never make up for that completely but I will try my damn hardest even if it means I have to spend a million dollars on you everyday for the rest of my life, I swear to god I will make it right. I care about you so much more than you could ever imagine. We will sort this out and we will give you a birthday to remember for good things…Slightly postponed sure…but you deserve the World Ethan Nestor, and I won’t stop until I give you it.”

Ethan stared in shock as more tears tumbled down his cheeks. He could hardly believe the words coming out of marks Mouth but something inside him tugged at him, erasing the doubt. The sincerity in his voice left no room for argument and Ethan couldn’t find it in himself to give any.

“Okay” he smiled.

“Okay?”

“Okay”

There was a pause.

“Lets get you cleaned up” And so they found themselves sitting on the floor in the bathroom at god knows what hour of the night, mark tending carefully to the tender slashes that lined Ethan’s arm as he carefully thought out plans for Ethan’s birthday. And Ethan sat in a blissful silence, a small smile playing on his lips as he watched marks movements. Everything was going to be just fine, and Ethan couldn’t be any more relieved.


	5. Money Troubles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ethan gets himself into a spot of financial issues right before Christmas. He tries to hide it from Mark. That will never end well

**Money troubles**

**A/N**

**I don’t know how bills work in America, nor do I know how YouTube payments work so just go with it okay. Im trying my best.**

Ethan Gasped in shock when he opened the envelope. His bill from the hospital had just come in and it wasn’t cheap.

“$4,000!” He could feel his heart hammering in his chest. Money hadn’t exactly been flowing in for the last few months, the only thing that was actually keeping him afloat was The Unus Annus videos and editing with mark. He’d been so focused with the duo channel that he had found himself with no spare time to film for his own channel. Consequently, the income he got from it had also dropped.

He sighed, placing the statement on the kitchen counter before going to grab his car keys. Thank god it almost the end of the month. He thought, hope flowering in his chest. The end of the month meant pay checks from mark. And pay checks from mark meant hospital, food and rental bills could be paid. 

Ethan stepped out of his house and into the crisp morning air, heading straight for his car. He reached his car and gets inside, immediately putting the heating on and rubbing the sleep from his eyes. His recent lack of sleeping was starting to get to him. All the stress from trying to keep his channel afloat was starting to ware on his mind but he refused to let anyone know, instead, he swallowed it down with a lump of salt. The drive to marks was slow and quiet. The normal amount of excitement that he would normally feel before filming a video with mark was all but gone. In fact, he was practically dreading it.

He pulled into marks driveway but made no move to leave his car for at least 5 minutes. He sighed, eventually collecting himself and leaving his car. Mark greeted him with his usual amount of enthusiasm as he opened the door. Note the sarcasm

“You ready to film?” not even a hello this morning. Okay. Ethan plastered a smile on his face and faked a burst of energy, making Mark laugh. Oh boy, this was gonna be a long day.

It was around 7PM when they wrapped up filming from the day. Ethan was exhausted and all he wanted to do was go home and cuddle with Spencer, but Mark had other ideas.

“Eth? Can you come sit for a second?” Marks tone was deadly serious making Ethan slightly nervous. _Had he done something wrong? Who was he kidding, he was always doing something wrong_ he thought bitterly. Nevertheless he slowly made his way over to the couch, his backpack gripped firmly in his hands. Mark gestured from him to sit opposite him and he obliged.

“So, I know its near the end of the month and your pay is due” he paused, looking Ethan in the eyes. “But, Unus Annus needs some extra funding for next month so we’ve decided to cut both of our pay checks for this month in order to fun the channel.” He finishes.

Ethan looks at him in shock. His heart caught in his throat. Worry seeped into his veins but he pushed it down, unwilling to show mark just how much he needed the money.

“o-oh? Um…okay. That fine I guess” He wasn’t quite sure how to respond. “What about you- do you need the money this month?” he asked hesitantly, worried that Mark could also be facing financial difficulties.

“No. I doubt even 4 months of missed pay checks would make that much difference to me”…apparently not. A pit formed in the bottom of his stomach from the way Mark had said that. It made Ethan feel guilty and annoying. The very concept of asking Mark not to cut his pay was gone. Instead, he simply nodded, forcing himself to not look like he was about to break down. He stood up to leave but Mark caught his arm. “You forgot the memory cards.” He handed Ethan the cards with the footage from that day on them. Ethan gave him a forced lopsided smile before stuffing the cards into his backpack and heading out the door, barely looking back at Mark or Amy.

He barely remembered getting home but he somehow found himself standing in his kitchen, staring blankly at the hospital statement. Tears built up in his eyes as he reached for his check book. Rent was due in 4 days. It’s not like he couldn’t pay it… he could, he just wouldn’t be able to afford his usual food intake for the month, or the weekly pizza night with mark, or his gym membership, or next month’s rent (because, for some reason, he pays his rent before he gets paid), or new EpiPens. The last one worried him. His EpiPens expired in a few days and without them, one slip up could cost him his life. He tore off a check slip and grabbed a pen. Tears slipped down his checks as he fumbled with the pen to write the digits.

The next morning, Ethan dragged himself out of his bed before 5AM. He hadn’t been able to edit Marks videos the night before because he had been too busy sorting out his finances. He made his way to his living room to find Spencer lying comfortably on one of the sofas. The little dog noticed his best friend almost immediately and started wagging his tail, rolling over onto his back. Ethan let out a small giggle before tickling Spencer’s stomach a few times. He made his way through into the kitchen, spencer’s paws padding on the wood behind him and grabbed Spencer’s food, giving the dog his breakfast before searching through the cabinets from something for himself to eat. There wasn’t much; some tins of porridge, a box of cereal, some fruit that would probably go bad in a couple of days. He sighed, for what felt life the millionth time that weekend. He needed to save the food that would keep to make it through the month without starving. Reluctantly he grabbed an apple, taking a bite and grimacing at the sour taste…yup definitely gone bad. He swallowed down the rest of the apple and grabbed Spencer’s lead, clipping it onto the excited dogs collar. The two left the house, stepping into the morning darkness.

By 6:30AM, Ethan found himself sitting at his desk, focusing intently on lining up the audio with the video. He had begun working on the first of the video almost as soon as he had gotten home from the walk. He hadn’t even taken a shower first which was proving to be a bad decision seeing as it was the middle of winter and he hadn’t taken a coat with him when he was walking Spencer, so now he was practically freezing. He coughed into the arm of his sweatshirt, feeling a small headache coming on. He groaned, tearing his attention away from the now finished video before standing up, shivering slightly, and making his way to the bathroom to try and warm up.

It was nearly 8AM when Ethan surfaced from the bathroom, his hair dripping wet from his shower. He glanced at the time, slightly taken back by the amount of time he had spent in the bathroom. Mark wanted to meet him at 8:30 for an early start on the videos. He groaned, which turned into a slight coughing fit. Slowly, he made his way to his closet and picked out an outfit for the day. A simple pair of black jeans, a white T-shirt and his black Unus Annus Sweatshirt. He glanced in his mirror for a couple of seconds, his eyes trailing over his lean body, before he tore his glance away and headed for the door, grabbing his backpack and laptop on the way.

It was 8:43 when Ethan arrived at Marks door. He hesitated slightly before knocking on the older man’s door. Mark responded almost immediately, ushering the smaller boy into his house.

“Your late” he stated, watching Ethan carefully as the boy took off his shoes and placed his backpack down. He seemed to be shaking, or shivering, Mark couldn’t tell which it was but either way he was worried. “You alright man?”

“yeah, sorry, kinda lost track of time. Spencer wouldn’t come back after the walk.” He lied easily, looking mark in the eye and giving him one of his signature smiles. Any worry that Mark might have been feeling quickly dissipated and he forgot all about the boys shaking. The two settled into the kitchen for the first video of the day.

The first video went by relatively well. And Ethan was actually having fun and forgetting all about his troubles. Until mark told him about the next video idea. The two would be doing an escape room. Ethan was actually excited about it when mark had said it…until Mark mentioned that they would each be paying for their separate tickets. Normally, on any other month, Ethan would have been completely fine with this but this month was different. Any wastage of money could mean that he would be going hungry for a week, or, if it was a large enough amount of money, he could lose his heating. And in winter, that could be dangerous. Regardless, he couldn’t let Mark down, he felt as if he had already annoyed the man enough so he agreed and the crew left for the escape rooms.

The rest of the month carried on in a similar manor. Ethan would either be up unbelievably late editing videos or he would be up early in the morning to do it. He would go to Marks and they would do their videos and then he would leave and the cycle repeated. The only thing that changed through the month was Ethan. The videos were costing him ungodly sums of money that he just couldn’t afford, but he felt so in debt to Mark that he simply agreed to them. In an attempt to keep his heating, he had placed himself on a strict eating regime, limiting the food he was eating so that he wouldn’t run out, any spare money went to feeding Spencer. The lack of food made his body physically weaker and he could feel the tiredness pulling on him every second of every day. This meant that any spare time he might have in between filming and editing and exercising was spent sleeping, he couldn’t bring himself to film for his own channel, no matter how much he knew he needed to. As the month progressed, things just went downhill. Their most recent video had cost Ethan his heating bill. The boy had to rely solely on the warmth of layers and layers of sweatshirts to keep him from slipping into a cryogenic state. It didn’t exactly stop him from getting sick though. Most nights, Ethan fell asleep wrapped in Multiple blankets and countless sweatshirts with spencer tucked into his side, shivering a cold sweat. No one Noticed though. No one asked if he was Okay.

The month drew to a close and Ethan’s hope of getting back into a normal routine grew brighter. Pay day was coming up, and it was two months’ worth, which meant that he could pay his rent, buy proper food and by some medication for his cold. He had pushed through the past few agonising weeks simply by holding on to the notion that he would be fine once he got paid and now the day was so close, Ethan could practically feel his energy returning to him at the thought. It was all going to be okay… until it wasn’t.

Pay day was in 2 days and Ethan couldn’t stop thinking about it as the group huddled in marks living room, discussing video ideas over pizza. Mark and Amy were cuddled up with each other. Tyler and Seán sat together on the other couch. Ethan sat with Chica on the floor, savouring the sweet taste of the pizza they were eating. The contented smile that had settled on his face was quickly wiped off the minute Mark spoke.

“so, Eth….” Mark started, not even looking up from his pizza “ im sorry man, but we’ve had to cut your pay for this month again” His tone was so half hearted that Ethan had to do a double take to make sure that Mark wasn’t messing with him. But mark didn’t look like he was lying.

Ethan’s Mind stopped. _Again…no no no no no.. this can’t be happening. I-I won’t survive this month without that money_ … Ethan suppressed his panic, forcing himself to remain calm. “W-what about the other guys?” he asked gingerly.

Mark shared a glance with the rest of the team, none of them looked particularly concerned or regretful for Ethan, they rather looked quite contented. “Look man, Christmas is coming up and you get a higher pay than the rest of them because of your own channel and all, so it made more sense that you and I would be the ones who would take the hit because it wouldn’t affect us as badly.” His tone was sincere, as though he had thought this through as carefully as he possible could have.. but he hadn’t, Ethan wasn’t a millionaire like him, and sure, his channel made him a little bit of money (or used too) but most of his income came from Mark and the duo channel… it seemed that mark had forgotten that. But he couldn’t even bring himself to argue. Letting mark know his situation would put Tyler and Seán and Amy in the same position as him, Ethan knew how much they meant to Mark. He couldn’t do that to them, so he just nodded, biting back the panic that flooded him.

“just count yourself lucky, there a thousands of people out there who can’t even afford to feed themselves. Two little missed pay checks is hardly an issue”. _I can’t afford to feed myself_. He thought bitterly. Marks tone of voice wasn’t exactly helping the situation. Slowly, the conversation settled back into its usual swing and everyone began chatting about random things again. Once again, no one noticed the internal battle that Ethan was fighting with himself, no one noticed the occasional tears that streaked his face, no one noticed the light fading from his eyes.

It was December 21st when he lost the last security he had. He returned home after a long day of working with Mark, exhaustion was heavy in his bones. The kitchen was cold as ice but he didn’t mind, spencer was cuddled up with him on the floor, the two were just sitting in a peaceful silence, something he hadn’t felt in a long time. the only interruptions were made by his stomach growling. But he had gotten used to that over the weeks, any muscle that he had worked hard to get had all but disappeared, he could feel his ribs sticking out way more than he should. He could tell that nobody else had noticed though, he’d covered it up pretty well, always changing the video idea when it came to him needing to be shirtless and no one had questioned it.

The silence was broken by a harsh nock at the door. He groaned, gently pushing spencer off him, before standing up. His vision faltered slightly, the edges of his vision going dark and he reached a hand out to stabilise himself. The knocking continued. He stumbled his way to the front door only to find himself face to face with two police officers.

“Excuse me sir, are you Ethan Nestor?” The taller of the two cops asked, his eyes flipping over his clipboard. Ethan swallowed harshly.

“Y-yes that’s me” he cursed himself for stuttering. The police officer looked up, a bored expression on his face.

“Due to missed bills securing the ownership of this property, your Landlord has ordered the siege of this property, you are to be out of this building by 8AM tomorrow, no exceptions.” He finished, looking Ethan directly in the eyes. “that’s all” He turned and left, his partner close in tow.

Ethan closed the door, collapsing against it. He pulled his knees up to his chest, sobbing uncontrollably into his arms. _What the hell am I supposed to do now_? In truth, Ethan had no idea what do, he knew he couldn’t annoy Mark with his issues, the man already did so much for him. But he didn’t have any close friends in LA so he had nowhere else to go. His only option was to sleep in his car for a couple of days until his next pay check came through…if it came through. But what would he do with spencer? He fumbled for his phone, checking his current bank account. $127.73…nice. He sighed. He had just enough to put Spencer in a kennel and rent some storage for his stuff, but that was it, and that was at a stretch.

Ethan spent the whole night moving his belongings into a storage unit across town, making sure he kept a few necessities in his backpack. He moved spencer into a kennel around 6:AM, kissing the small dog on the nose one last time before facing the long walk back to his home because his stupid car had ran out of gas and he could pay for a refill. By 8Am he was stood outside his old empty home with nothing but the clothes on his back and his backpack with his laptop, phone charger, toothbrush, and a few snacks that he had manged to scavenge. A police car pulled up. The rest was a blur, all he knew was that he was officially homeless, he had nowhere to go. With a lump in his throat, he headed to marks.

It was 1PM. The duo had just wrapped up their first video of the day, Mark kept sparing small glances at Ethan through the video. The Normally hyperactive boy seemed to have barely any life left in him at all, and it scared mark. He decided that he should ask Ethan about it.

“Hey Eth? You alright?” he asked softly, forcing Ethan to stop what he was doing and look up at him. Mark felt his chest compress, the once vibrant greenish brown eyes that he loved so much, were now a dull gray. Not to mention the deep circles that lay underneath them.

“Yeah, im fine Mark” He replied, smiling like usual. Once again, Mark forgot all about his worry, of course he’s fine, why wouldn’t he be, probably just had a bad night.

“Alright, cheer up man, ITS NEARLY CHRISTMAS!” He exclaimed, Ethan laughed along with him. If only Mark had taken a moment to realise just how hollow the laugh really was.

Christmas eve arrived before they knew it. Ethan and Mark had agreed not to film on Christmas eve or Christmas, mainly because Mark was having guests over for the two days. It hurt Ethan that mark hadn’t thought to invite him, the older man knew that he wasn’t going home to family that year. _Maybe mark thought that I already had plans? Yeah right, he just doesn’t want you there_. He wiped a stray tear from his face as he wandered the streets. It was dark by now and Ethan was freezing. Snow had built up on his thin sweatshirt, seeping through the fabric tinting his skin a pale shade of blue. He shivered, desperate for any kind of warmth. Even in the dull dusk light, he could see his thin fingers turning a light purple color, that’s not good. Small tears dripped down his cheeks as he walked. How could this have happened to him. He was starving, freezing, alone, and to top it all off he lost spencer, he lost his _home_ …And it was Christmas. He sighed, eventually finding a small alley that seemed relatively sheltered. He shuffled into the furthest corner, sliding down onto the cold wet concreate and huddling into the smallest ball he could in a desperate attempt to maintain as much body heat as he could. He knew it was futile, even with fat and muscle on his bones he wouldn’t be able to produce enough heat to keep himself warm, but he didn’t have fat or muscle anymore so that just made the situation even worse. Eventually he settled down, resigning himself to the cold and fell asleep.

He was abruptly awoken on Christmas morning surrounded in snow with a knife to his throat. Fear struck him instantly and he sucked in a jagged breath as hands grabbed his hair and arms, pinning him to the wall behind him. Fear struck him and his breathing became laboured. His vision cleared enough to see his attackers, there was a few of them, maybe 4 or 5, he couldn’t think. He couldn’t even bring himself to move, it was like his entire body was made of ice. It would be futile anyway, they clearly weighed at least double his weight.

“What’s a pretty boy like you doin’ ou’ ‘ere all alone on Christmas, eh?” The one with the knife said, his voice was gruff, he definitely smoked and he was definitely drunk. Ethan kept his mouth shut, tears building up in the corner of his eyes but he pushed them away. “ I asked you a question boy!” He sneered, spitting everywhere. It was all Ethan could do not to vomit at the man’s foul breath. He whimpered as the knife dug into his neck. The first of the blood to be spilled that morning dripped down his neck.

“I-I d-don’t have a-anywhere to go” he stuttered out, somehow finding a reason to be ashamed even in such a dire position. One of the men just laughed, it was a cruel, merciless laugh that made the very hair on Ethan’s arms stand up.

“ya hear that boys! He don’t have nowhere to go” He laughed, Releasing the knife and backing away from Ethan’s trembling form. Ethan’s hair and arms were also released, but his relief was short lived when he noticed one of the men holding his backpack.

“w-wait no. don’t. i-I need that” he coughed out, weakly reaching for his bag but he was met rather painfully with a sharp kick to his ribs. He screamed, curling in on himself, tears dripping down his cheeks. It didn’t stop there. Within a matter of seconds, a wave of kicks and punches rained down on Ethan’s small form. He could do nothing but curl up in a ball, pulling his arms up to cover his head as they assault continued. An agonising crack echoed through the air as one of the men stomped on his already damaged rib cage. The pain was excruciating. The assault continued on, the vile sound of breaking bones echoed through the air as Ethan forced himself to remain conscious, screaming out for help until his throat was raw and throbbing. No one came.

After what felt like hours, the assault died down and Ethan was left alone, bleeding in the frigid snow. After a few failed attempts, Ethan managed to force himself into a sitting position. He clutched desperately at his injured ribs, trying to ease the pain. Nothing worked. His face was a mess, contorted in raw pain and stained with tears, and most likely blood too. He knew he couldn’t stay like this, he had to get help immediately. The first thing that came to mind was Mark. He had no choice this time, it was Mark or die. So, gathering all the strength he could muster, he pushed himself off the ground, gritting his teeth through the agony, and began stumbling his way to Marks.

Mark was enjoying his Christmas morning. He had a few friends and family stay the night and they had all shared presents in the morning before taking the dogs for a walk. It was quite pleasant. They were currently all sat cuddled up in the living room, chatting and playing numerous Christmas games, and mark never wanted the feeling to end. But, something also felt off, like someone was missing… Ethan. Mark realised that he had never asked Ethan to join them, the thought never even crossed his mind. The younger boy normally spends Christmas back in Portland so he hadn’t thought to ask, but now that he thought about it, he was sure that he had said that he wasn’t going home this time. An uneasy feeling washed over him. _Was Ethan alone on Christmas_? Just as he thought that, the doorbell rang.

“I’ll get it” mark informed before making his way to the door, laughing slightly at the joke that Amy had just made. He pulled the door open.

“Ethan! I was just about to ca-“ He stopped himself, the younger boy hadn’t looked up and he seemed to be shaking violently. “You alright man?” he asked, his tone worried.

Without warning, Ethan collapsed, falling forwards. Mark reacted quickly, catching the smaller boy’s body before he hit the ground suddenly alarmed by how little Ethan weighed.

“SHIT!” He fumbled to turn Ethan around In his arms. The poor boy was freezing, _had been outside in that cold with nothing but his sweatshirt and jeans?_. Tears formed in Marks eyes when he saw the state Ethan was in. Blood streaked his face and he could see bruises flowering up his neck, continuing under his sweatshirt. The boys lips were tinted a sickening blue and his eyes were sunken and dark. His clothes were soaked through and laden with rips and blood stains. “Fuck Ethan, what happened?” he whispered, manoeuvring himself to carry Ethan’s unconscious body through to the living room.

Everybody froze the minute Mark entered the living room. They took in the tear stains on Marks cheeks before their eyes settled on the seemingly lifeless body in Marks arms. Although they couldn’t see his face, they all knew who It was. The Christmas atmosphere that had been thick in the air all but vanished

“E-Ethan?” Amy whispered “Holy shit, Ethan!” She recovered from her shock quickly and rushed up to mark, taking one of Ethan’s cold hands in her own. No one moved for a moment.

“Mark” he took a deep breath, steadying herself “put him on the couch, I’ll go find some medical supplies” Mark complied. Tyler and Seán jumped off the couch taking the cushions with them, leaving a space for Ethan to lie.

“I’ll go get him some warm clothes” Tyler rushed off.

“I’ll make him something to eat” Seán headed for the kitchen.

Everyone else in the room remained frozen, their eyes trained on Ethan’s unconscious body. None of them had seen his injuries yet and everyone was equally confused as to what caused the boy to pass out until mark pulled the hood of Ethan’s sweatshirt of his head. Sadness and panic flooded the air. Amy returned, shortly followed by Tyler and Seán.

“Mark, can you help me remove his sweatshirt please” together mark and Amy removed Ethan’s sweatshirt. the two audibly gasped when his clothing was removed, horrified at the damage done to their little Ethan. Mark stumbled back slightly in shock, allowing the rest of the room a clear view of Ethan’s torso. To say everyone was absolutely horrified would be an understatement. Deep blue and purple bruises flowered over nearly every visible inch of skin, deep cuts littered his stomach and down his arms. Not to mention how thin he was. Mark nearly threw up at the sight. There was absolutely no way that the all of the damage was new, some of it had been ongoing for what looked like weeks, maybe even months. What the hell had been happening to Ethan? How hadn’t he noticed it? Thick tears rolled down everyone’s faces as they watched Amy treat Ethan’s wounds. The poor boy never stopped shaking.

After about an hour of patching up cuts and bruises, Amy stepped away, wiping her own tears. Tyler and Seán jumped into action, gently removing Ethan’s soaked jeans and underwear (it wasn’t like they had never seen him naked before) and began towling him down before re-dressing him in warm sweatpants and one of marks sweatshirts. The sweatshirt that was too small for mark practically pooled around Ethan’s frame. No one spoke a word, they just sat in silence and waited for Ethan to wake up.

A quite groaning brought everyone out of their silent state, their eyes shifting over to where Ethan was lying. The boy shifted slightly before his eyes fluttered open, a sharp hiss left his lips as the pain caught up to him. He curled in on himself, clenching is eyes shut and gripping onto his ribs as a wave of pain washed over him.

“Ethan? Oh god…Ethan” Mark was at his side in an instant, gripping gently into the smaller boys shoulders in an attempt to pry his arms away from his injuries.

“m-mark?” Ethan’s voice was small, weak and raw. Mark could instantly tell that the boy had been screaming but the fact that he was actually conscious enough to talk comforted Mark to no ends.

“yeah, it’s me buddy, you’re okay” Mark slowly took Ethan’s small frame into his arms, cradling Ethan to his chest. Ethan tensed at first but eventually he gave in and relaxed against Marks chest. Silence ensued. The rest of the room watched on as the two embraced. Ethan was the first to break away, still trembling. He took in the room around him , a confused look formed on his face.

“H-how long have I been out?” he whispered

“about 2 hours” Amy answered this time, sending Ethan a soft smile.

Tears formed in Ethan’s eyes _. Fuck, I messed up again, they’re gonna hate me_. An onslaught of hate filled his brain and small sobs wracked his frame as everyone watched on, unsure of how to react. “shit...i-im sorry Mark...i d-didn’t mean to ruin y-your Christmas…I k-know you didn’t want me here I just…i-I just didn’t know w-where else to go..” Ethan sobbed.

Marks heart broke at the sight of Ethan so upset and a ridged pain pierced him at the youngers words. _Did Ethan really think they didn’t want him there_. For a moment, mark was completely frozen. “Eth? Look at me” Ethan slowly raised his head but his gaze never fully met marks. “Ethan, I need you to know that I would never NEVER not want you here okay. You mean everything to me, you are so wonderful in so many ways and I never want you to feel like you’re not wanted because you 110% are!” Tears filled his own eyes as he spoke. “I don’t know what I would do if I lost you, so I need you to tell me exactly what happened to you, so that I can make sure that it never happens again, okay?” he brought a gentle finger up to Ethan’s face, forcing the smaller boy to look him in the eye so he could see how sincere he was. “Can you tell me what happened? What were you doing outside in the cold with barely any clothes on?”

“i- I lost the house Mark” icy tears dripped down ethans sheeks, his eyes a void of life. Mark sucked in a breath, confusion echoing over him.

“What?”

“I couldn’t pay the rent a-and they kicked me o-out. I-it happened four d-days ago” he sobbed, relief filling him, glad he was finally able to talk to someone about it.

Mark could hardly talk. Shock wrapped around him, closely ensued by an immense felling of guilt. Was this his fault, if he had just paid a little more attention to Ethan Instead of the channel… he couldn’t breath.

“im so sorry Ethan. I should have noticed sooner. Oi should have talked to you before I cut the pay. Fuck. I-i…”

“ ‘s okay. It was my fault, I should have told you, o-or focused more on my own channel so I could get pay..”

“No Ethan.” Marks tone left no room for argument “None of this is your fault. Just…in the future you come to me if ANYTHING is bothering you.” He paused, his watery eyes raking over Ethan’s abused body. “What happened to you Eth…”

And with that, Ethan broke down, explaining every little event that had led up to the loss of his home and the events of that morning. By the end of the talk, the room was filled with sobs and tears. Marks could hardly breath, the guilt of what he had caused Ethan because he hadn’t been thinking weighed heavily on him. But what had happened was in the past so all he could do was hold the boy close as he cried, whispering sweet nothings into his ear until he calmed down. Slowly, the Christmas spirit returned to the room and Ethan pushed the memories of the last few months to the back of his mind, just enough to be able to enjoy the delicious Christmas dinner that Mark had prepared. The group had settled back in the living room for some Christmas games when the door bust open. Ethan barely had time to react before he got a face full of fur and wagging tails.

“SPENCER!” he laughed as the small dog jumped around him, clearly exited to see his best friend again. Ethan glanced up, sending an overjoyed smile towards Seán, who had apparently snuck out at some point after Ethan had explained what he had done with spencer.

“Merry Christmas Ethan”


	6. Beneath the Waves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Based on "We force mark to swim in the ocean" but i reversed the roles so Ethan is the one that's scared of the ocean.  
> Marks great idea to make Ethan face his fears goes detrimentally wrong.

Beneath The Waves

**A/N PLEASE READ!**

**I hope you enjoy this. Im really sorry if it was stiff or didn’t make that much sense, I wrote this from the hours of 1AM to 6AM in the middle of an ADHD episode with the help of a monster energy drink, to say im in dire need of sleep is an understatement. Hope y’all are having a great day, or at least a better day than I am. Stay safe guys, gals and non-binary pals and remember to drink some water! Peace.**

**Based on ‘We force Mark to swim in the ocean’ Except the roles are reversed. In this Story, Ethan is Terrified of the ocean. Also he’s not wearing a life jacket like Mark did in the official video.**

To say Ethan was terrified would be an understatement. The ocean had always terrified him even when he was a child, something about the unknown that lies beneath the ever constant drifts of even the gentlest waves, the overwhelming crushing fear that something sinister is lurking within the murky depths, the hopelessness of being out of your element, the knowledge that your control is all but lost in the grasps of Mother Earths most deadly environment. The ocean is a terrifying thing to Ethan which is why he did everything in his power to avoid it, until now. Somehow, along the line of craziness that is Unus Annus Mark had figured out Ethan’s most prominent fear and decided to wrap his fingers around it enough to squeeze it for content. And so here he was, on a bright sunny day, standing beside Mark on a boat just outside the harbour in California about to dive into the source of nearly all his childhood nightmares. So yeah, he was fucking terrified.

Mark wasn’t stupid, he knew Ethan was terrified the very moment he mentioned the idea of that days video to him. No matter how hard he tried to hide it, the small shivers that wracked down the boys spine every couple of seconds proved the extent of his fears. And for a moment Mark had contemplated it. Contemplated telling the captain to turn the boat around and head back to shore just to ease Ethan’s mind. Almost. Facing your fears, going even further beyond, that was what Unus annus was about and he’d be damned if he let Ethan back out of this one so he started the video before the boy had a chance to talk him out of it.

The first few minutes of the video went by perfectly well. Ethan’s fear showed quite prominently on camera and was only further proved by Ethan’s uncanny ability to buy time. He spent a good few minutes simply psyching himself up for it before realising that he still had his mic pack on, the confidence he gained all but dissipated.

“would you prefer it if I swam out so you have something to swim to?” Marks tone was gentle instantly calming Ethan’s spiking Nerves. The encouraging look on Marks face caused Ethan’s gut to clench painfully. He didn’t want to fail mark, he knew how much mark believed in him and he couldn’t help but feel and overwhelming sense of fear pulsing through him. Marks whole thing was about people reaching their full potential and yet here he was, a shaking mess at the mere thought of dipping his toes in the ocean. God he was pathetic. Pushing the tears that threatened to rise back he looked back at the ocean before him. He could do it. He knows he can…just not here. Ethan was snapped back into reality when a gentle but firm hand gripped his shoulder. Once again Ethan’s gaze met Marks encouraging brown orbs. He sucked in a much needed breath, his eyes wandering back to the blue abyss.

“could…Could we maybe move a bit close to shore. I know I can do it…just not…not this far out” His voice came out as barely above a whisper but mark heard him, his grip tightening reassuringly on Ethan's still trembling shoulder. A warm smile donned his face.

“Of course man, whatever helps.”

And so, five minutes later they were situated in the centre of the bay, close enough to land that there wouldn’t be any chances of ‘wildlife’ getting in the way but far enough out that they would have to dive a fair few meters to reach the ocean floor. Ethan’s nerves tossed and tumbled like sheets in a washing machine. There was no going back now. He barely payed attention as the camera turned on again, his thoughts drifting through the endless possibilities of what could happen to him in the ocean. Anxiety bubbled up indie of him. He knew it was stupid but watching jaws a few to many times seemed to have done a lot more damage than he had originally realised.

A Splash snapped him from his thoughts just in time to see marks messy black blob of hair emerging from the surface of the water. Something about the fact that he wouldn’t be alone in the water relaxed him and he felt the nerves bubbling off slightly as he watched mark bob along the surface peacefully. It was now or never.

Taking a deep breath Ethan plunged into the water. Panic swirled up as the darkness of salty water filled his airways and sealed around his head but he ignored it, kicking his legs and propelling himself towards the surface. The invasion of _What if_ thoughts stuck immediately but he fought them back. He wouldn’t allow himself to think like that, he was fine. Nothing was going to happen. And nothing did happen.

The next few minutes were spent frantically swimming around, pulling mark back to the boat before the man swam off again leaving Ethan no choice but to follow. Amy and Evan watched happily as the two men swam around each other splashing water and having fun. It was pretty clear to everyone once the video was wrapped that Ethan was actually enjoying the water. Nobody wanted it to end.

“Hey mark? What do you say we stick around for another half an hour, let The crew and Evan and I relax in the water a bit?” It was Amy who suggested it the minute the camera turned off. Watching as a big goofy grin spread across Marks face. She Gulped, taking a small step back quickly placing the camera down suddenly glad she didn’t have her phone in her pocket. A small shriek left her as mark scouped her up, all but throwing her into the waves. The rest of the team followed suit, the captain making anchor and quickly diving head first into the surf. Within a matter of seconds the deck of the boat was littered with discarded articles of clothing and the air filled with joyous shouts of laughter as the group tumbled around in the water.

Fear no longer gripped Ethan like it had when the day had started and he was suddenly extremely grateful to mark for forcing him to face his fears. A blissful feeling hung over him and he splashed about In the salty water listening to the shouts of laughter and freedom. There was something so freeing, so peaceful about floating on the waters surface that he never thought he’d understand. The sudden desire to know what it felt like to be encased by that feeling flooded through him. He paused, looking around at his friends for a few seconds, they looked like they were heading back to the boat which meant if he wanted to feel the feeling he so desperately desired, he’d have to do it now or the moment would be lost. Making up his mind he inhaled a long, deep breath before submerging his entire body under the waves and propelling himself downwards. The rush of emotion tumbled upon him in an instant and he suddenly found himself wanting to stay as long as he could so he did, gently propelling his arms and legs he righted himself just enough so that he could keep himself in the same place. The world was so silent underwater. So calming…until it wasn’t.

The urge to breathe pressed on his lungs, a sudden reminder that he was human and the ocean was not a place he belonged in. opening his eyes against the slaty water, he stared up at the glistening light on the surface, a good 6 maybe 7 strokes upwards. Something tugged at his ankle. And wave of confusion and slight fear washed over him and his eyes shot towards the source of the tugging. All the terror Ethan had felt before fiving into the unknown filled him again tenfold. A long strip of seaweed that looked to be stemming of some sort of metal structure on the sea bed tangled around his ankle firmly keeping his suffocating body in place. Panic stricken he dived down, clasping his hands around the messy tangle of sea weed desperately tugging and pulling at it but nothing worked. The familiar bubble of anxiety and fear flooded his mind as he thrashed against it desperate to break the surface of the water. There was no way that was actually happening. He was going to drown. His lungs Constricted painfully and black clouded the edges of his vision. It felt like his head was exploding, shutting down as salt water filled his lungs. If tears could fall in the ocean he’d be sure his face would be flooded. His tugging weakened and his eyes began to slip closed, the last of his precious oxygen leaving his lungs as his mind gave out and his world went dark.

Mark pulled himself back onto the deck of the ship, a wide smile playing on his lips as he headed towards the centre cabin to fetch towels for the crew. The events of the last hour or so danced through his mind and he allowed himself to feel oddly at peace. He had been worried about Ethan for a while but was overjoyed when the younger man had started to seem like he enjoyed the water. He hadn’t actually expected Ethan to get over his fear so quickly and mark had all but erased the concerned that weighed heavy in his earlier that day. His face still adorned a peaceful smile as he turned around to hand out towels to the crew that were one by one pulling themselves back on board searching around for the garments that had been carelessly lost at the notion of being greeted by the refreshing waves of the ocean. The last half an hour had been heaven to him and looking around he could see that it had been the release everybody had needed, even the crew that spent most of their life at sea looked pleasantly relaxed, smiles playing on all their faces as they dried themselves off. Amy and Evan looked the happiest he had seen them in a while, despite their past sea sickness, even Ethan…Wait. It took mark a few seconds of realising that he was still holding two towels to realised that Ethan had not boarded the boat with them, nor could be recall seeing him head in with them. Dropping the towels in a panic he rushed to the edge of the boat desperately scanning the surface of the water for any signs of the younger man.

“Ethan!” nothing. Turning his head back towards the rest of the team he was met with confused and concerned faces but he barely had time to process them before he was yelling for someone to check over the other side of the boat.

“I can’t see him” came the immediate reply. Mark barely waited for the reply before he was diving headfirst into the surf once more, Evan following his suit close behind. The salt water stung his yes but he ignored it, squinting his eyes against the dark depths in an attempt to spot Ethan. A sharp tug on his arm alerted him of Evan who was rapidly pointing towards a shaped a couple of meters to the right and below them. Mark ploughed his way down coming to a stop besides Ethan’s struggling form. Horror filled him as he realised what Ethan was trying to do. It was clear that time was running out, Ethan’s eyes were barely open and the tugging was weak, uncoordinated. Not wasting a second Mark and Evan both joined their efforts attempting to free Ethan’s ankle from the oceans shackles but it was fruitless, the weed was too tough, there was no way they could get it undone by pulling at it. Marks lungs were starting to burn and he glanced back up at Evan who was no longer pulling at the weed. Mark swore he would feel his hear stop. Evans terror filled gaze was trained on Ethan, Th boys eyes had slipped shut, his body ceasing it movements. Mark was frozen. How could he let this happen? He should never have suggested this stupid idea. And now Ethan was suffering the consequences of it. The burning desire to breath Snaped him out of his thoughts and he quickly grabbed Evan, dragging him up to the surface with him. They were no use to him dead and the more time they wasted the lower the chances of resuscitation. It was a few agonizing seconds before the two men broke the surface gasping in Dire breaths of air. Mark acted quickly, grabbing Evan by the shoulders and commanding him to stay with Ethan barely registering the movement of Evan nodding before he disappeared under the surfaced again. Mark swam the 15 or so strokes to the boat, quickly hauling himself aboard, making a bee line for his backpack. The Worried questions thrown at him were lost in his desperate rush to find what he was looking fore. Hoping, praying that he hadn’t taken it out the night before. His eyes shot open and relief flooded him as his fingers grasped around the cold metal of his multi tool. Flicking the larger of the two knives open he turned, surging past Amy and the captain who watched the scenes unfold with bated breath, before plunging himself back into the depths.

He reached Ethan within seconds, and with a few violent slices the sea weed severed. Together Mark and Evan Hauled Ethan’s back to the boat where Amy and the captain waited panicked. Tears flooded down Amy’s cheeks as she watched the captain help Mark and Evan pull Ethan's Body onto the deck. Within seconds mark was crouched over Ethan, expertly checking his airway and pulse before immediately diving into performing CPR. The boat was silent as everyone watched The scene unfold with a hollow, terrified feeling in their hearts. The only sounds were that of mark breathing heavily as he pumped on Ethan’s chest and the whispered please he made to the boy, willing him with all his being to wake up.

43 seconds.

43 seconds is how long it took for Ethan to breath. Mark watched with terrified relief as Ethan rolled over, letting the water spill from his lungs as he desperately tried to choke in all the oxygen his body couldn’t handle. And suddenly it felt like the world had started spinning again, Amy let out a breathy laugh that turned into a sob, almost collapsing against Evan who, still dripping wet, also let out a choked dob of relief. Mark didn’t even think before he was cradling Ethan’s still weak body to chest as Ethan curled his arms around marks neck, desperate for any kind of anchor to ground him.

“fuck im so sorry Ethan. Im so fucking sorry” the words were breathy, riddles with terror and pain, replayed over and over like a mantra to keep himself sane.

Mark lost track of how long they sat there in each other’s grasp but he didn’t dare let go, afraid that Ethan would slip away into the darkness once more.

“M-Mark?” Ethan’s voice was raw, terrified and a guilty pit formed in Marks stomach as the sheer sound of it. If Ethan was scared of the ocean before, there’s no way in hell anybody would be convincing the boy to even touch it ever again. “I wanna go home”

“I’ve never agreed with you more”

Lets just say neither of them will be going near the ocean for a very long time.


	7. Dark As the Days Come (Part one)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ethan's Terrified that something stalking him. A run in with Dark confirms his worst fears.

Dark as The Days Come (Part One)

**This is a Part one to Maybe 2 or 3 chapters. I'll try to get them out in concession with one another so it makes its coherent. Haha i haven't slept properly for 3 days so my apologies if there's a few errors, im trying my best. Please leave a comment if you want. Stay Safe and Drink some water Y'all! Peace!!**

**A/N: In this, Dark has a separate body from mark, he is still a part of mark but does not share a physical form with him.**

Ethan couldn’t quite remember when it started. The shadows crept up the corners of his walls like fingers dancing in the dark. He used to enjoy the feeling of collapsing into a warm bed after a hard day working but now everything just felt so…off. He wasn’t quite sure what it was exactly but there was something. There was a strange feeling that hovered over him even in his deepest sleep, like something was watching him.

He knew it was irrational. That someone…something was watching him from the shadows. Yet, no matter how hard he tried to push the feeling back it never left. It was like the shadows themselves were after him and that terrified him. Every childhood monster was born of shadows, everyone knew that, but these monsters were meant to stay in childhood, not haunt adults. And yet here he was, a grown ass 23 year old practically on the verge of a panic attack everytime he turned the light off. Sciophobia. That’s what it’s called, The fear of shadows…the _irrational_ fear of shadows. And that all it was, irrational, right?

Night seemed to slip away from him and soon the tired, dark circles set in. It was a Friday morning… 6:45AM… And Ethan lay awake in his bedroom watching as the first rays of light peaked through the windows and dispelled the shadows. He was tired. Exhausted even, but he knew he had things to do so he took a deep breath and pulled the covers off, exposing himself to the cool air. The lights flicked on and Ethan felt like he could actually finally breath. Stumbling to the bathroom he froze, staring at himself in the mirror. His once form fitting shirt hung slightly loose on his frame, much of the muscle he had worked hard to gain had all but disintegrated from his lack of sleep and exhaustion. His once bright blue eyes dulled to a stormy gray. Dark circles hung under his eyes like stones, weighing him down, a dark reminder of the sleep he’s lacking. Sighing once again he turned, dragging himself through the shower and towards his kitchen.

It was nearly midday when Ethan finished up his morning filming and dog walking routine. The dawn light had almost completely dispelled the darkness that the night brought. A few shadows still clung like spiders to the deepest corners of his walls but they came so few and far between that that barely bothered him. Filming always helped take the edge off so that’s what he spent his morning doing, sitting in his desk chair with his hue lights as bright as they could go because god forbid he let the darkness in. The first video was stiff, on edge, but he soon found himself letting himself go to the excitement of the game and he let loose, allowing the fun, charismatic version of himself free. But the prickling feeling never left and the hairs on the back of his neck never relaxed. Midday rolled around before he even realised and he found himself at marks. They had scheduled the afternoon for recording time a couple of days ago and now here he was.

“Ethan, You with me?” a hand waving in front of his face and a gentle voice brought him back into the world. Mark was kneeling in front of him, a small but concerned smile painting his face. Ethan was confused. He could feel the soft comfort of marks couch behind his back and a warm hand grasping his but he couldn’t remember how he got here . Everything blacked out the minute he stepped over the threshold of marks house.

Mark was worried to say the least. The minute he opened the door for Ethan he knew something was wrong. He had a distant look in his eyes, like he was there but not.

“Hey buddy, come in” he put on his joking voice trying to bring the boy back into the real word but the smile faded from his face when he got no reaction. Ethan just stared at the wall behind Mark with the same distant, exhausted look in his eyes as he stepped over the threshold. Gently, Mark grasped a hand around Ethan’s wrist, leading him to the couch and encouraging him to sit down which ended up with him being gently pushed because gestures and words weren’t working right now.

Slowly, Mark lowered himself to his knees, still grasping onto Ethan’s hand hoping that the physical connection might bring Ethan into the real world again. Mark wasn’t stupid, he knew what was going on, a side effect of Ethan’s ADHD mixed with a clear lack of sleep had forced him into a dissociative episode.

“Mark? What’s going on, is Ethan okay?” Amy rounded the corner with the rest of the props for the first video to find the two boys facing each other, mark clearly comforting the other.

“i-uh, I think he’s having a dissociative episode” Amy was by his side in an instant, the props forgotten on the counter, grabbing Ethan’s other hand and whispering comforting words into his ear regardless of whether he could actually hear her or not. The boys eyes slipped closed but his stature remained, a sign that he was trying to make himself aware of the situation. Mark and Amy continued to whisper sweet nothings into his ears… his fingers twitched. A small whimper escaped his throat.

“Ethan, you with me?” And he was back, his eyes opened slowly and he took a deep breath, finally registering his surroundings. Confusion and embarrassment clear on his face.

“W-what…uh, what happened?” His voice was quiet, slurred, but mark and Amy’s reassuring smiles helped his pumping heart settle.

“You had another episode bud, you alright?” Mark still had a gentle hold of Ethan’s hand rubbing small circles over his knuckles and he vaguely registered Amy rubbing small circles on his back, almost as if they were afraid he might slip away again.

“Yeah, no, im fine just confused” he blinked trying to expel the fogginess from his mind.

“Understandable, let’s get you some water and food yeah?” Amy stood up, squeezing his shoulder encouragingly before disappearing into the kitchen to grab Ethan something to drink.

The concerned look never left marks face as he settled onto the couch next to Ethan, he studied the younger boy curiously. The dark circles under Ethan’s eyes alongside the near consistent shake that never quite left his frame worried him endlessly. Something was very wrong and it went beyond the episode mark had originally thought it was. But what?

Once Ethan was feeling slightly more settled, the two men began their day of filming, mark pushed the worry to the back of his mind, it did neither of them any good caught up in worry or fear.

The day of filming pushed on and the two practically forgot that morning ever happened. By late afternoon the two had filmed 3 hilarious videos and were practically buzzing with joy at he way they had turned out, their lungs aches from laughing so hard. The last video of the day was a slightly different type of video. Mark had planned it a little while ago without telling Ethan and he was generally quite exited to see how Ethan would react.

So Ethan found himself standing in marks recording office alone, as instructed by Mark. The lights were off, the only indication that he wasn’t in a black void was the constant blinking of the camera. The atmosphere was deadly silent and to say Ethan wasn’t the slightest bit scared would be a huge understatement. Of course he was terrified, the countless nights of fearing the dark shadows clinging to his every move and planted a deep seed of fear into Ethan’s heart and mind, so yeah, of course he was terrified. But he couldn’t tell mark that, so he didn’t, and now here he was…standing alone in the dark, waiting for whatever undoubtedly cruel joke mark was going to play on him. Anything for content right.

“Eeethan” a gruff voice erupted from the darkness making Ethan jump surprise, stepping back slightly.

“Mark?” He called out quietly once he caught his breath.

“ah ah ah, think again” the voice was deep, so similar to Marks and yet so different. Ethan swallowed harshly as marks game dawned on him.

“Dark” It wasn’t a question this time. Dark laughed, a cruel humourless laugh.

“well done, you figured it out” Ethan spun around squinting into the shadows as Darks breath fanned down the back of his neck, his breathing picking up slightly. Ethan wasn’t as clueless as the audience, He knew dark existed as an entity outside of mark, that he want just some fake person Mark played out for a bit…That he was dangerous. It was the very reason that mark kept him confined to his computer… so the question remained, why would he let him out? Why in the cover of a completely dark room? And why alone with Ethan? His thoughts were quickly cut off by a cold finger dragging down his spine before clasping both of Ethan’s wrist tightly in one of his hands as a thick arm wrapped around his throat making him whimper as he tried to pull away, but Dark was stronger and taller so the effort was fruitless

“My My, what have we got here” Dark chuckled, his black eyes raking up and down Ethan’s slender body, taking in the way the boy shuddered and flinched against his grip, a sick smile twisted onto his face. “Its not every day Mark allows me to stretch my legs. And to be greeted with such a fine plaything…” Ethan squeezed his eyes shut in pain as Darks sharp claws dragged along his chest, no doubt deep enough to breath the skin.

“Let me go” He tried to keep his voice steady, demanding, but Dark merely laughed, tugging at Ethan’s wrists more, chuckling at the pained whimpers that left the boy.

“Now what fun would that be, hm? I haven’t even started yet…Besides, you have no idea how long I’ve waited to get my hands on you”

Ethan's breath hitched and his eyes widened. He stilled, taking in the words that spilled from darks lips. Panic swelled up in his stomach and his breathing became laboured. “You…” It was barely a whisper, so quiet he wasn’t quite sure if he had ever actually said anything but Darks tightening grip as he pulled Ethan back into him further proved that he had heard.

“I wondered how long it would take you to realise” Ethan felt sick. Clenching his eyes shit as a few hot tears spilled down his porcelain cheeks. Fan-Fucking-Tastic. Not only has he been being stalked in his own home but it’s just had to be by Darkiplier Himself. Hell, He would have taken Ted Bundy over Dark. “I guess this just means I can speed up my plans a little sooner than I had originally planned…you know, Skip the ‘Foreplay’ so to say” Darks Tone was Vile, Warped. Ethan could practically feel the Demon Smirking, a wicked smile stretching along is face. At Darks words Ethan Began his thrashing again, opening his mouth to yell for mark help when a gray tinted hand wrapped around his moth, silencing his plea.

Dark revelled in the silent cries that the boy let out as he tugged against Dark grip. Sick fantasies tumbled into his mind at the thought of Ethan writhing underneath him and his hand once again found Ethan’s throat. In a mere few seconds Dark had Ethan pinned against the wall, his calloused hand wrapped harshly around Ethan’s small neck, Watching with pleasure as Ethan writhed and squirmed under his hand struggling for desperate breaths of air.

The time ticked by slowly as the younger boys desperate writhing slowed, his arms going limp and his eyes slipping shut. Dark smiled, a savage, unhinged smile as he watched Ethan struggle to regain his lost breaths even in his unconscious state. His eyes trailed to the small timer on the camera. 4:43. His five minutes was almost up. He grinned once more at the boy he had so easily overpowered, stepping back before disintegrating into the shadows from whence he came.

When Mark entered the filming room he automatically noticed that Dark had left and a relieved feeling spread in his stomach. He had been worried that the demon wouldn’t stick to his end of the bargain but it seem as if he had. The second thing he noticed was the distinct lack of noise coming from his counterpart. He had expected a freaked out Ethan to come barrelling up to him demanding why he thought this was a good idea. But he was met with silence. His eyebrows furrowed as he reached for the light switch, flicking it on. And then he wished he hadn’t. Directly in front of him lay Ethan, unconscious, His cheeks stained with tears and trembling. Without hesitation Mark beelined for Ethan, cradling Ethan’s body to his chest as he felt out Ethan’s pulse points, relieved when his pulse came back strong. His eyes raked over Ethan as he desperately tries to come up with a reason for his friends unconsciousness. Something caught his eye and his attention flicked to Ethan’s neck. Gently he pulled the neck of his hoodie down slightly, his eyes tearing up at the sight. A Thick, angry red line framed the centre of his neck, looking suspiciously like handprints. There was no doubt in his mind what Dark had done, the slight dent in the wall above Ethan paired with the bruising handprint filled him with intense Anger and guilt. Dark had hurt Ethan and it was Marks fault. How stupid could he be, to let a demon alone with the younger boy for the sake of a stupid YouTube video that wouldn’t even be able to be posted now?

Letting his tears fall, he gently scooped Ethan up, turning to carry him down into the living room where Amy was waiting. He knew he was going to get an earful from the girl but at this point he knew he deserved it. He rounded the corner off the stairs with Ethan dangling unconscious in his arms. Amy’s head snapped up to meet his eyes, a wide simile on her face that quickly dissipated seeing Marks puffy red rimmed eyes before trailing down to Ethan’s body clutched desperately to his chest. An audible gasp left her lips and she was off the couch in an instant, rushing to help mark lay him down.

“Mark, What happened!” anger seeped into he voice in a way Mark had never heard from her before. He swallowed hard, daring to meet her eyes.

“Um, you remember my idea involving dark” He shrunk in on himself as Amy’s glare somehow became even more steely but she said nothing, willing him to continue on the hopes that what she was hearing was no true. “Well, We did it. And dark didn’t hold up his end of the bargain… God Amy I was so stupid! Why the fuck did I let that psychopath near him! He’s dangerous enough alone and I just thrust Ethan in front of him like some sort of sacrifice! God Amy he’s Never going to forgive me!” By the time mark stopped rambling, tears were flowing freely as he gripped onto Ethan’s hand. A steady, firm hand cupped his cheek and his eyes tailed to meat Amy’s determined glare. A harsh breath left her as she flicked between his two eyes before deciding on what to say.

“Im not going to tell you that its okay Mark, because its not” her tone wasn’t angry, disappointed maybe, but not angry. For a moment Mark wished she was angry, he didn’t like disappointed Amy. “I told you it was a bad idea when you first thought of it and I have absolutely no idea why you thought now was a good time to do it. He was already exhausted from his episode this morning on top of filming, what made you think he could handle Dark as well? It was a stupid decision on your part and you’re going to have to accept that and learn from it. I cant imagine the guilt your feeling And im sorry you have to carry that but we both need to be there for Ethan now. I don’t care what he says, he’s not okay, he hasn’t been for weeks. Just promise me you’ll ease up on him, even in bits.” Here tone was eerily calm throughout the whole lecture, though her words held little comfort, something about the way she said them eased a weight in marks heart and he found his eyes drifting back to Ethan’s still face. He had to be better…for himself and for Ethan. So he took a deep breath nodding with determination promising himself he wouldn’t let anything happen to Ethan ever again.

Then again, Markiplier wasn’t really known for holding up his promises.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ethan's got a new boyfriend. He's not as great as he seems.
> 
> A/N  
> i will most likely take this down at some point and re-write it because im super unhappy with the way it turned out. there is also a part two and an alternative ending to this. Alternative ending will be published after this while i edit this chapter and figure out a suitable ending. Enjoy.

**A/N**

**i know i said i would upload dark as the days come pt 2 immediately after pt 1 but its taking longer than i thought it would to write so here's an older story i wrote a while ago too keep you going. Enjoy and REMEMBER TO DRINK SOME WATER YALL!**

Ethan pulled the oversized sweatshirt over his head, watching as the material pooled around his waist slightly before slipping off and dangling mid-way down his thighs. He sighed. Things were supposed to have gotten better for him this year. He’d decided to take some time for himself, really focus on building his relationships with his friends and building his confidence. And he’d done that.   
Spending time with his friends had proved more beneficial than he had ever thought it could be. His videos became more fun and relaxed as he roped his friends in to join him; his confidence had started to build (A result of spending so much time around his female friends who were constantly showering him with affection, hell, he’d even been invited to girls night; Mark had come along and thrust the idea of a time doomed channel into the mix and he was constantly meeting new people through his friends. It had been great at first and Ethan had enjoyed the idea of mixing up his circle of friends, he had even made some super cool new friends on twitch… but then he met someone…and he fell in love… and they loved him back. He acquired himself a boyfriend somewhere along the months and he couldn’t have been happier. Until he wasn’t.  
Turns out Mark had been serious about the duo time doomed channel. He had found himself sitting in a Buffalo Wild wings with Mark one afternoon brainstorming ideas for a channel name. Mark had insisted it be something that could seem serious but have that hint of immaturity they the both knew would completely take over the content. From there the channel ‘Unus Annus’ Was born.   
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It was a random Thursday evening in the Markiplier household. Ethan, Mark And Amy were gathered on the couch discussing ideas for the channel so they would have a decent idea of what they were going to start filming next week. Ethan listened intently, excitement and contentment simmering in his stomach as mark listed off crazy ideas left right and centre. The three of them were in fits of giggles at some of the strange (and slightly concerning) ideas that immerged from Marks mind.  
“What about buying some of those heat sensing cameras, and seeing how our body’s react to kinks and stuff. You know, basically outing ourselves to the entire world” Mark Giggled at his idea, not even waiting for Ethan’s response before scribbling it down into the notebook. It took a few seconds for Ethan to even process what mark had said, and when he did his entire face went red with embarrassment, a wide smile on his face as he began to giggle.  
“Wait Wait Wait. You want us to point a heat sensor at our dicks to what? See if we have any dirty kinks, come on man if you wanted to know so badly just ask” Ethan couldn’t restrain himself from making the joke, watching through fits of giggles as marks face scrunched up as loud laughs rumbled from his throat.  
“Yeah right. It’s a good idea and even better for me because I get to embarrass you in front of thousands, possibly millions of people” Marks voice still held an amused giggle as he spoke.  
“Why would it be more embarrassing for me than you” Ethan defended, somewhat offended that Mark actually thought he’d be into some of this shit. Then again, some of the things he tended to blurt of in moments of filter-less thoughts begged to differ. Mark gave him an incredulous smirk.  
“I mean, it is said that those who are not ‘sexually satisfied’ will react more than a man whose desires are fulfilled” Marks Voice was thick with his theatrical flair, something incredibly common during his bits.  
“What are you talking about ‘not Sexually satisfied’” Ethan laughed, urging mark to continue digging himself a grave, so to speak.  
“Well I have Amy…” he started slowly, meeting Ethan’s extremely unamused face. Okay maybe there was a little amusement.  
“I’ll have you know that I also have an Amy” He tilted his head in confusion at his own words before bursting out in another fit of giggles, “Wait no”  
Mark smirked, suddenly very interested in what Ethan was trying to say.  
“Does The Ethan Nestor-Darling have a girlfriend?” he teased, watching carefully as Ethan’s laughing drew to a close and he tensed up slightly, dropping his gaze the slightest bit, fighting with his sleeve.   
“Not Exactly…” Now, Ethan wasn’t embarrassed of being Gay, not even in the slightest. But he had never actually told Mark about it and even though he knew the older man would accept it, he was still slightly hesitant. “Its not…he’s not..” Welp, there’s no going back now.  
Ethan forced his eyes up to look at Mark watching hesitantly as marks expression went from confusion to shock before morphing into a genuine smile. Ethan felt his nerves relax and the tension lift from his shoulders at the sight.   
A movement to his right snapped mark from his thoughts and he turned to look at Amy who was holding her hand out expectantly, a triumphant smirk on her lips. Mark reached into his pocket, pulling $20 from his wallet before reluctantly placing into her open palm, sighing dramatically as he did so. The smile never faltered once. Ethan Blinked.  
“Hold on! You guys bet on me!” He didn’t even know why he was shocked, he should have guessed it, it wasn’t like he was incredibly subtle about it. Mark just laughed and Ethan shook his head giggling slightly.  
“Oh shit what time is it?” Ethan eyes widened as he realised that it was no longer bright afternoon sunshine.  
“8:43 why?”  
“I told Jason I’d be home by 8”  
“so that his name, huh?” Mark smirked, imagining the amount of messing he could do to Ethan over the next few months.  
“Maaaaark” Ethan whined, his childish voice slipping in slightly.  
“Okay Okay, just tell him you’ll be home soon, I think were done here and its only 15 minutes to your place. Traffic shouldn’t be that bad. Don’t stress man, it’s just an hour. When I first started dating Amy I sometimes came home 4 hours later than I promised and she still puts up with me.”  
“somehow”

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Ethan’s stomach was in knots as he approached the front door of his and Jason’s shared apartment. The older man had suggested that Ethan and spencer move in with him instead of them both paying rent for separate places that they weren’t even going to be at that often. Jason’s place had been in a much quieter neighbourhood with much less nosey neighbours so he had suggested his place. Ethan loves living with his boyfriend, he really did, but he also enjoyed his alone time and freedom to leave if things went south and without a place of his own he couldn’t do that. Jason and Ethan had been dating for slightly over 3 months and things were going great, Jason was always so kind and accepting of him, always listening to his problems. Ethan would spend the morning either recording videos, cleaning around the house or cuddling with his boyfriend. Jason would cook them lunch on some of the less busy days and then Ethan would cook them both dinner before his evening streams. The long walks they took to the dog park with spencer were his favourite part, though they hadn’t been happening so much now.  
It didn’t stop his heart thumping in his chest though. Taking a deep breath he turned the handle listening as the door creaked open. silence. His shoulders relaxed slightly as he placed his bag down to remove his shoes, shaking his head with a small smile, reprimanding himself for even being nervous in the first place. It was his boyfriend for God’s sake, what was there to be scared of.  
“Ethan?” he shot up to meet the deep brown eyes of his boyfriend.   
He blinked and in seconds an intense warmth surrounded him as Jason rushed forwards encasing him in a bone crushing hug. Gladly Ethan returned the Gesture.  
“where were you, I was afraid something had happened” Ethan pulled back to look at Jason properly, The older mans eyebrows were furrowed in worry as his gently stroked Ethan’s cheeks.  
“I know, im sorry. I was at Marks. I lost track of time-“ A sharp sting bloomed across is left cheek and his head snapped to the side. Ethan’s eyes watered in a pain and disbelief as he slowly raised his head to look at Jason again. The older man was watching him intensely, hints of anger and frustration lingered behind his eyes. But there was a thick curtain of love there too.  
“im sorry Eth, you just worried me. Its not okay for you to just disappear on me, what if something had happened to you darling.” Jason was right, he was just looking out for him. He wouldn’t have slapped him if it wasn’t deserved, it didn’t even hurt… the red mark that stained his skin for nearly 3 days afterwards said different.

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A week passed and the two didn’t mention the incident again. Since the incident, Ethan made it a habit to be how on time if not early every day regardless of what he was doing at the time. The sudden change of habit was not lost on Mark or Amy. The three and Evan had started their first batch of filming for Unus Annus a couple days ago and it was going incredibly well, the content was so ridiculously stupid and fun to film, it was so different to some of the things they were used to filming, of course, the sudden change in pace was difficult for everyone and they were already feeling the stress of making sure there was a video out on time every day. It didn’t exactly help that everytime the clock struck 6, regardless of whether they were in the middle of filming, Ethan would make some half hearted excuse before running out the door. Mark dismissed it the first time it happened, brushing it off as the boy genuinely having something important to do but 4 times was getting excessive. Not only was it ruining the videos but it was frustrating to him and everyone else involved. Mark, Amy and Evan had discussed it after the 2nd time it happened, it wasn’t like the younger boy to just up and leave and it had brought up questions and caused them to rethink Ethan’s dedication to the channel…something that they couldn’t afford. Eventually they had come to the conclusion that they would interfere if it continues any longer, no matter how the methods needed to make sure he knew that he couldn’t just leave halfway through a video.  
Ethan rung his hands in his sleeves anxiously as mark joked about something Ethan wasn’t really paying attention too. The clock on Marks wall read 5:58PM. Anxiety pooled in his stomach as he watched the seconds tick by. Ever since the incident Jason had made it explicitly clear that he wanted Ethan home on time which was around 6:30 and Ethan had agreed eagerly, anything to please Jason…anything to avoid another red stained cheek. In all honestly, Ethan was absolutely terrified of how Jason might react if he was late home again, he knew he deserved whatever might occur but that didn’t mean he wanted it to happen, he was scared.  
“Ethan! You need to focus” Marks clipped tone brought him out of his trance, snapping his eyes up to meet marks, heat pooled in his cheeks as he observed the frustration prominent on Marks features. He swallowed thickly realising that he hadn’t been paying attention to anything mark had being saying for at least 2 minutes, hell, he didn’t even know what the video idea was.  
“i-um, what?” Confusion seeped into every inch of his voice as he nervously flitted his eyes between mark and Evan, his heart sinking as he noticed that they were both equally annoyed with him.  
“What the hell is going on with you man? You need to focus, we have a video to film and a schedule to stick to.”  
“I know Mark, im sorry im just a little distracted” he started, fidgeting with his sleeves nervously “do you think we could film this another time, I really need to –“  
“need to what Ethan?!” mark cut his off harshly, his voice raising until his was practically shouting “Let me guess. You need to Go because its 6 O’clock and you forgot to turn off your oven?! No? let me see, you promised your parents you’d call them even though it’s the middle of the night for them. Did you need to get to the store before it closes? newsflash Ethan, the store doesn’t close until 10PM.” By the time he Stopped yelling his face was red with anger.   
“please stop yelling” Ethan’s voice was barely a whisper, fresh tears brimming in his eyes as he stared at the floor, his head lowered. Mark didn’t seem to notice the way the boy’s body shook slightly or the sudden change in body language.  
“If you don’t want to do the channel then fucking leave” Ethan’s head snapped up, searching in Marks eyes for any sign of him messing around. Nothing. Mark wasn’t messing with him. Either he leaves now and he loses Unus Annus or he stays and films and faces an angry Jason later.   
“your right, im sorry…I promise ill be better. Lets just film the video” He spoke, swallowing the lump of fear that brewed in his stomach. Mark seemed to like that answer as he exhaled slowly, a small smile tugging at his lips, shooting a smirk at evan.  
“good, that wasn’t so hard was it? Evan, get that camera rolling”

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The video took a total of 53 minutes to film and 17 minutes to pack up. It took Ethan a further 21 minutes to make it to his front door meaning he was an hour and 31 minutes late home. A part of him told him that it wasn’t normal to be this terrified of arriving at his own home, another part of him told him it want is own home, it was Jason’s home, he was just living in it and therefore he should follow the rules or he was subject to the punishment.  
He sucked in a deep breath, pushing open the door and shutting it gently behind him. The minute he turned around a blinding pain bloomed in his stomach. He screamed out clutching at his torso as thick hot tears filled his eyes. Jason barely gave him a second before he was wrapping a large calloused hand around Ethan’s throat, slamming his back into the wall. Clawing at the suffocating grip around his throat Ethan cried out, his toes desperately scrabbling at the floor in an attempt to find some sort of relief. He watched through blurry eyes as Jason scowled at him, fury clear in his eyes. Ethan’s heart pounded violently in his chest as wave upon wave of immense fear piled down on him. Jason huffed out releasing his iron grip on Ethan, watching as the boy fell to his knees on the hard wood floor coughing violently as he tried to suck in as much oxygen as he could, his small hands delicately rubbing at his bruising neck.  
“where were you?” The mans voice was stone cold, no hint of remorse.  
“M-mark-“ his voice was lost in a rough hacking fit, throat hoarse and burning. “M-Mark wanted t-to film a-another video” he winced at the soreness, rubbing at his neck gently.  
“And? You know the rules baby. You’re to be home by 6:30 no matter what.”  
“i-I know I t-tried to t-tell him I h-had to go but he w-wouldn’t let me, im s-sorry” the younger boy was practically sobbing, desperate for forgiveness. Jason sighed, lowering himself to his knees and placing a firm hand on Ethan’s cheek, ignoring the way the boy flinched at the contact.  
“im just trying to help you baby, you understand why I have to this right? Im just trying to help you get better” Ethan just nodded numbly, allowing himself to be pulled into his boyfriends arms. He was just trying to help him get better…right?

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The next few days continued on in the same fashion. Ethan would return home late from filming and Jason would greet him at the door with a fist. Ethan’s body ached as bruises bloomed on his skin, his neck was irritated from the amount of concealer he used to cover the rapidly darkening marks. Filming passed by in dazed blurs and soon enough the ever present terror would burst through his walls as he approached the home he had come to fear. Of course, no one knew this, It was one of the many new rules Jason had put into place to help him ‘get better’. The list was a written set of rules Jason had put together to help Ethan remember what was expected of him. At first Ethan had argued against him, saying that he wasn’t a kid that needed to follow every rule his parents set him, that he was an adult with freedom. Apparently Jason hadn’t liked that very much, the pool of dark blue bruises that swirled around his left side and back from his steel toed boots colliding with Ethan’s skin had proved that much. And so Ethan had shut up about it, forcing himself to remember that Jason was just trying to help. The mantra became something that filled his brain everytime the man became violent, to the point where Ethan was sure it was true, any doubt that the Man was in the wrong had quickly been abolished, whether it was fear or genuine belief he wasn’t sure. It didn’t necessarily mean he liked it though, and he knew the rules were just the tip of the iceberg.  
1\. Never tell anybody, all corrections must be covered before leaving the house (corrections referring to the bruises Ethan received at the slightest sign of failure to follow the rules).  
2\. Always say thank you for corrections.  
3\. Only talk when asked a question or given permission to speak. Never speak freely.  
4\. Do not answer back or question Jason.  
5\. Do not eat without permission. 

  
Ethan hated it. The constant fear that he might accidently forget something. Jason hadn’t been soft on him the first time he messed up. In fact, his ribs still ached from the correction he had received for it. However, By the third week the rules had become almost second nature. It was like his brain had decided to just bow down and let it happen. Because he deserved it, he kept reminding himself. The last rule was the one he had the most problems with. Sure, Ethan had been a little insecure about his body for a long time but he’d never thought he was fat enough to restrict his eating. Until Jason had told him the opposite. The man barely allowed Ethan to eat a thing, he’d watch Ethan cook meals upon meals of mouth-watering pastas and curries then force him to watch as Jason ate the whole thing by himself. Ethan was lucky if he got whatever little was left over. The hunger pains subsided after the first week but it left him feeling weak and tired. He knew despite what Jason told him, he needed to eat or he’d pass out so that’s what he did.   
Jason had restricted Ethan’s credit card use so he couldn’t just buy food without asking for Jason’s permission, so he did the only other thing he could think of. Only Eating at marks wasn’t really an option because he wasn’t there everyday so Ethan knew he needed another way to eat. so he had waited until Jason left for work before shuffling his way down to the kitchen. He had to be careful because Jason would know for sure if he ate too much so he had grabbed an apple and a breakfast bar, quickly devouring them before tossing the remains into the outside trash can. This became a routine for a while until one day when Jason came home from work early.  
Ethan had just finished his apple when the door slammed open. His heart leapt to his throat and he froze at the sight of Jason standing in the door way, his eyes narrowed dangerously.   
“oh fuck me, you’ve been eating, you little shit” He all but laughed, a cruel, twisted laugh.  
Ethan couldn’t help but cower backwards, his back pressing into the counter as he tried to put as much distance between him and his boyfriend as possible. Fresh tears already pouring down his cheeks. He thrust his shaking arms out in front of him as Jason stormed towards him. The man acted quickly, gripping both of Ethan’s wrists in one hand with an iron grip, the other hand slamming forwards into Ethan’s nose before quickly gripping the boys hair roughly forcing him onto his knees. Tears and blood mixed in vibrant swirls down his face as he weekly tugged away to no avail. Three weeks of basically no food and continuous beatings had weakened his body more than he could ever imagine. His form when covered by a shirt looked roughly similar to his gymnastics days, small and skinny. Expect there was little muscle there now, just bones that seemed to protrude at every angle.  
Jason sneered, looking down on the boy with vile, twisted eyes so much so that Ethan wondered what he ever saw in them. The kindness that had been so thick before was nowhere to be seen.  
“You want to eat something! I’ll give you something to eat!” Ethan’s eyes widened as more tears flooded down his face. He shook his head rapidly against Jason’s grip putting all his remaining strength into fighting to get away, but it was useless. Ethan watched in terror as Jason’s grip on his hair left and he quickly removed his black tie from around his neck. It took seconds for the man to secure Ethan’s wrists tightly behind his back and force him back onto his knees. Everything in Ethan told him to let his shaking body collapse to the ground and give up but he knew that everything would be so much worse if his disobeyed now. Terror, disbelief and shame built in Ethan’s stomach as Jason reached towards the waistband of his pants. Of all the lines Jason had crossed this was the absolute worst. He had had this conversation with Jason many times at the start of the relationship, he had explained that he had never actually been with a guy before and he wasn’t ready to take any explicitly intimate steps, and yet here he was, on his knees covered in bruises with his hands restrained behind him about to give his ‘boyfriend’ a blowjob unwillingly. A gut wrenching sickness filled his stomach as he realised what was actually going on. He couldn’t do this. This wasn’t love, how could he ever have thought it was. Ethan wanted to slap himself to how blind he had been. 

Before he could react or make a move to run a rough hand gripped the back of his head pulling roughly. A pained gasp left his mouth quickly replaced with something a lot thicker and warm. He gagged, the tears streaming down his cheeks in tidal waves. It tasted revolting and felt dirty on his tongue. Jason seemed to be getting impatient as he quickly shoved Ethan forwards, the tip of his cock hitting the back of Ethan’s throat. Pure terror flooded through Ethan’s brain as he thrashed and squirmed, squeezing his eyes shut in pain trying to block out the atrocities of the deed. He couldn’t breathe. Jason’s hand kept him firmly in place and his restricted hands meant he couldn’t push away. He couldn’t breath as Jason moaned in pleasure above him. His brain worked on instinct, biting down hard on Jason, reeling back for gasped breaths as Jason screamed out in pain.   
The relief was short lived as Jason somehow pushed through the pain slamming a powerful fist straight into Ethan’s jaw. He collapsed on the flood groaning in pain as shockwave upon shockwave of pain wracked his body. Jason didn’t stop there. Ethan could do nothing but curl in on himself as Jason’s anger rained down upon him. He screamed and sobbed desperate that someone would hear him and save him but he knew it was no use. It suddenly made sense why Jason had picked his apartment for them both despite Ethan’s being bigger…there were practically no neighbours. It was all fitting together in his mind now and if he wasn’t terrified before he certainly was now. Jason had been planning this the whole time.   
The abuse slowed enough for Ethan to catch his breath slightly, but he didn’t dare unfurl himself, not even as Jason stormed away towards the basement. Silence filled the room, nothing but Ethan’s pained gasps and occasional sobs of whimpers that filled the air anytime he shifted slightly. 

  
2 minutes passed.

  
His eyes shot open at the sound of heavy footsteps thudding up the basement stairs. Sucking in a breath he tried to push down the fear and panic that bubbled in his chest enough to push himself into a sitting position, back resting heavily against the kitchen cabinets. He couldn’t help the involuntary shiver that took over his body as Jason’s frame came into view.   
Jason smirked, his arms holding something behind his back, obstructing it from view. Ethan’s breathing increased.   
Three heavy steps forwards and Jason was crouched down in front of the bloody, cowering boy.  
“biting for dogs, and do you know what happens to a dog when it bites, baby?” Ethan whimpered, shaking his head slightly.  
A confused whimper echoes around the room as something tight clasped around his face, securing at the back of his head with a click. Ethan’s eyes widened and his breathing picked up as he realised what Jason had put on him. The bastard had put a muzzle on him. A fucking muzzle! it was barbaric, Ethan wouldn’t even use it on spencer if he was being a little bit nippy and yet here he was wearing a fucking muzzle because he defended himself.   
“There we go, that’s better” Jason clasped his hands together in delight as he watched Ethan squirm and whimper in his presence.   
“mhhmf” He laughed. It was perfect. Not only could the boy no longer bite him but it stopped him from talking too.   
“ah ah ah, we’re not done yet” an evil glint sparked in his eye as he watched Ethan’s hope diminish bit by bit. Jason glanced out the window, a sadistic thought coming to mind.  
Without warming he shot up, hauling Ethan to his feet, ignoring the pained screams emitting from the boy as his injuries were jostled. Smiling, he dragged Ethan’s trembling form out into the back garden setting his sights on a large metal washing pole sticking up from the ground. Thunder rolled in the rapidly darkening sky. Ethan froze.   
Jason worked quickly, throwing Ethan against the pole hard enough to wind him and likely leave a bruise before disappearing into the shed for a few seconds knowing Ethan was too weak to make it very far. His hand grasped around a pair of leather chain restraints he’d bought just after he met the younger boy.   
He relished in the desperate cries that ripped from the younger boy as Jason restrained his arms around the pole, making it impossible for him to escape. The pole was too deep into the ground for Ethan to pull it out even if he had strength. He wouldn’t be going anywhere. Standing up, he admired his work as the broken boy shivered and sobbed as the storm cloud drew closer, flashes of lightning sparking in the darkening air.  
Ethan’s heart pummelled in his chest, the realisation of what’s happening had dropped on him the minute Jason disappeared inside and left him to the mercy of mother nature. The ground felt cold and hard under him and the wind ripped through his bones, his thin long sleeved shirt and jeans doing nothing to protect him from the harsh elements. Tucking his knees into his chest he whimpered, his arms still pulling weakly at the bonds restraining him to the metal pole. The rain came falling down, unaware of his pain and despair, washing away the blood on his body and the faith in his heart.


	9. In the name of love (Unofficial ending)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ethans got a new boyfriend. He's not as great as he seems.
> 
> unofficial ending mainly because i had this idea and i wanted to get it down but i didnt want it to be the actual ending.  
> Dark as the days come pt2 coming soon.

**I hate this lol. ill take this down and re-do it later. sorry for my bad writing, mental health kinda sucks rn. Stay safe and drink ya water!**

_Ethan’s heart pummelled in his chest, the realisation of what’s happening had dropped on him the minute Jason disappeared inside and left him to the mercy of mother nature. The ground felt cold and hard under him and the wind ripped through his bones, his thin long sleeved shirt and jeans doing nothing to protect him from the harsh elements. Tucking his knees into his chest he whimpered, his arms still pulling weakly at the bonds restraining him to the metal pole. The rain came falling down, unaware of his pain and despair, washing away the blood on his body and the faith in his heart._

Hours passed and the glow of evening light gave way to the terrifying chill of night time. the world around him faded to illegible shapes and shadows. The last remaining light from inside the house had flicked off a good 45 minutes ago, signalling Jason going to bed. All hope dissipated at the harsh realisation that Jason really was going to leave him out here alone… freezing in thunderstorm rain… covered in blood and bruises… tied to a _metal_ pole with lightening striking all around him… oh, and how could he forget he was still wearing a fucking _dog muzzle_.

The cold felt heavy on Ethan’s limbs, his bruises stinging painfully keeping him awake. He tensed, flinching violently as a strike of lightning hit a couple of miles in front of him. Terror and adrenaline flooded through his veins. Despite the knowledge that lightning very rarely strikes the ground, his luck hadn’t exactly been fantastic lately and he didn’t trust his chances. Panic built up and he began to tug and pull desperately at his wrists ignoring the way the leather sliced into his skin to the point where he could feel the warm blood dripping down his fingers. He let out a sharp cry as his finger sliced on something sharp of the floor. Glass. A shred of hope returned as he gripped the shard in his hand, twisting awkwardly to dig the glass into the leather before slicing up and down in harsh sawing motions. 

The rain hammered down stinging his exposed flesh but he hardly noticed, Pure pain flooded through his bruised body as he continued to saw his way through the restraints. Blood pooled under his hands running from a mixture of skin rubbed raw and deep cuts from the glass accidently piercing his skin but he didn’t care, he could feel the leather loosening and with one final tug his left wrist freed from the cuffs. He sighed in relief, dropping the bloodied glass and immediately bring his hands up to pull the muzzle off. It was useless, Jason had added extra straps so the only way he could remove it was by the buckle on the back with Jason had taken the liberty of padlocking. Great.

He didn’t have much time to pounder it though as he stumbled to his feet, using the pole to steady him as a wave of pain ripped through him. His legs felt numb probably from a mixture of the rain seeping into his skin and the fact that he hadn’t used them for a while. Nevertheless he stumbled forwards, slipping through the gate to Jason’s back yard and slipping into he night, desperate to get as far away from the nightmare house as he could.

The first thing that came to mind was the hospital but there were two main problems with that.

One: He didn’t actually know where the nearest hospital was and he didn’t have his phone to call and ambulance.

Two: he probably looked like a crazy person. He was literally covered in blood, wearing a muzzle and still had leather cuffs hanging from his wrists on top of the fact that he wasn’t even wearing any shoes. Yeah, not normal.

The only other place he could think of was marks, it was the closest for sure so there was at least half a chance he would make it without passing out. Breathing heavily and shivering against the biting cold he began the long walk to marks.

Chica’s Frantic barking woke mark from his slumber. He groaned, glancing at the alarm clock on his bedside table.

3:27Am

Great. Amy groaned beside him, pushing herself into a sitting position rubbing at her eyes tiredly. A flash of lighting and an excruciatingly loud clap of thunder had mark also shooting up too. He didn’t even know it was supposed to storm that night so that explained Chica’s frantic barking. She’d never been to fond of storms. He groaned again, realising that he would probably have to spend the rest of the night calming her otherwise she would keep everyone in the house awake if they weren’t already. Everyone being himself, Amy, Sean, Evan and Tyler. He had invited them to stay on the pretence that they had a full day of filming for their own channels and Unus annus so it would be easier to have them all under the same roof. He had also invited Ethan but the boy hadn’t replied so mark just let it be.

Shuffling beside him brought him back to the present, Chica’s barking progressively getting louder along with another noise, a faint ringing.

“is that the doorbell?” he mumbled, confused. Amy’s also confused grunt back indicated that he was correct.

The floor was cold under his foot as he shuffled down the hall towards the stairs. Lightning illumination the hallway every few seconds. It felt like a literal horror film in real life. He spun around as a door creaked open behind him. Sean and Tyler popped into view shortly followed by Evan who poked his head out of a door further up the hall way.

“What’s going on?” Sean questioned, clearing his throat slightly.

“I don’t know. I think someone is at the door”

He turned around, trudging his way down the stairs towards the door flicking on the downstairs lights on his way. Chica noticed him and paused her howling, her tail wagging as she trotted towards him happily before making her way passed him to Sean and Tyler who had followed him down the stairs.

Hesitantly he cracked the door open, his breathing hitching as he spotted a figure curled of on his front porch shivering violently.

“Ethan?” The figure whimpered quietly, making a move to stand up but he didn’t make it very far before his legs gave out and he all but collapsed into mark who rushed forwards to catch him, concern flooding him instantaneously.

Mark barely had time to look at his younger friend before he was wrapping a firm arm around Ethan’s mid-section and the other around Ethan’s legs, hoisting him up into a cradle carry and turning to bring him out of the freezing night and into the warmth of the living room. Ethan was shivering violently in marks arms and mark was suddenly extremely concerned about how little the boy weighed. It became very apparent that the shaking was not only from the cold but from crying and what was obviously pure fear. Marks heart tugged painfully as he placed Ethan down on the couch, watching as he immediately tensed, curling in on himself slightly in a sitting position.

To say mark was horrified at the sight in front of him would be a huge understatement. For the first time since he opened the door he took a good look at Ethan. He had to cover his mouth with his hand to stop him from sobbing. He wasn’t quite sure what to do and it was clear by the silence around him that nobody else did either.

His eyes trailed up Ethan’s dishevelled form, from the missing shoes to the bloodies pants and shirt and bruised skin, tear stained face and finally to the horrendous dight of the cuffs and muzzle. Mark furrowed his eyebrows, trying to come up with any logical explanation as to what could possibly have happened to Ethan for him to be in this situation but his mid came away blank. He could clearly see the rip on the cuff that hung limply from the chain around his left wrist, and mark wasn’t dumb. Someone had tied him up with them and Ethan had somehow escaped and ended up here. A deep sickness weighed on Mark and he felt his eyes tear up at the sight.

“Eth?” he started slowly, watching with sadness as Ethan looked up at him, pure fear swimming in his eyes. He kneeled down next to him, gently holding his hand out to Ethan but deliberately not touching him not knowing what he had been through and so he would let Ethan come to him.

Somehow Ethan looked even smaller, huddled up on the couch as studied him wearily, searching for any hint that the older man might hurt him. When he found none he reached out, clasping his bloodied fingers around marks hand, sighing in comfort as mark began to rub gentle circles over his knuckles. His eyes slipped shut as a few silent tears dripped from his eyes, gathering on the metal wires of the muzzle. He tried to speak but all that came out were muffled sounds as the muzzle prevented him from opening his mouth at all. He whined, bring his other free hand way from his screaming ribs and up to the trap around his mouth pulling harshly in frustration. Nothing happened which only caused him to get even more frustrated ripping his other hand away from marks to aid in pulling the muzzle.

Mark was frozen for a second as he watched Ethan begin to hyperventilate and tug at the terrible device. It took him a few seconds to realise that He was actually hurting himself before he reached up instinctively gripping onto Ethan’s small wrists. Not enough to hurt him but enough to stop him from pulling.

“Ethan, Ethan calm down. Breathe” he placed one of Ethan’s hands on his chest, encouraging him to match his breathing which Ethan seemed to catch onto.

It took a few minutes for Ethan’s breathing to even out but Mark could tell he was far from calm. They needed to get the barbaric device off of Ethan soon. A movement to marks right caught his attention and a small box was quickly placed next to him followed by Tyler who cautiously kneeled down next to Ethan trying not to scare him. No one missed the way Ethan flinched or snapped his eyes shut instinctively. A burst of anger rush up inside Mark; Whoever had done this to Ethan was going to pay, no matter the consequence.

Tyler clicked open the box revealing a lock picking kit Mark had bought for a future Unus Annus video. He looked at Ethan expectantly, watching for Ethan to allow him to get closer. Ethan hesitated, uncertainty clear in his eyes despite having known everyone in the room for years. Mark squeezed his hands reassuringly, sending him a small smile. Ethan nodded, finally allowing Tyler to slip on to the sofa next to him.

Mark continued rubbing small circles on Ethan’s trembling hands as Tyler worked on unlocking the padlock, his heart clenching painfully at every whimper that left Ethan’s mouth,

An agonizing 5 minutes later and a small click echoes through the room, the padlock slipping open before Tyler slowly pulled the muzzle off of Ethan.

The relief was instant, cool air circling around the irritated skin where the muzzle had been pushed tightly against his face. Stretching his mouth felt even better. His throat was raw from screaming and crying so speaking wasn’t really an option until he got something to drink.

“w-water” he croaked out. Amy rushed off and was back in seconds, a fresh bottle off water in her hands which she quickly passed to mark to open before he brought it up to Ethan’s mouth knowing his he wouldn’t be able to hold it with his hands shaking so much. Ethan accepted the water, gratefully chugging down the icy water shivering slightly only just realising quite how cold he was. Mark seemed to notice this, mumbling to Evan to grab some blankets and a few towels. “t-thank y-you”

“don’t mention it” Mark smiled, moving onto the sofa to work at the padlock on the cuff around Ethan’s wrist. The same relief filled Ethan as the cuffs fell away from his skin except the relief was short lived as a sharp sting rippled through his wrists. He looked down, getting a good look at his wrists for the first time. The sight made him feel sick. His skin was ripped all over and bloomed in painful reds that seemed to be quickly turning into purple bruises. Died blood stained all around the skin and dipped down his fingers. It looked like he’d just stuck his hand in a blood bath. Tears filled his eyes for the millionth time that day but he couldn’t bring himself to wipe them away so he simply let them fall, the cool liquid cooling his burning skin.

“Jesus” Mark whispered beside him, clearly not realising how bad Ethan was actually hurt until now. “Eth? Are you hurt anywhere else?” Marks voice was bordering on frantic, panic setting in that the rest of his body might be in a similar condition. He couldn’t even begin to fathom the amount of pain pulsing through Ethan’s body. Ethan nodded, mumbling out a weak ‘everything’.

Mark felt his heart sink at the weakness of Ethan’s normally chipper voice. “okay bud, im gonna take your shirt off so we can dry you a bit and see where your hurt, okay” Ethan just nodded but he could stop himself from tensing as marks finger brushed under the hem of his shirt.

“im not gonna hurt you Eth? You’re safe”

Mark thought he might throw up the minute that he lifted Ethan’s shirt from his small frame trying to ignore how Ethan hissed as his arms raised. There was barely an inch on the boys skin that wasn’t black and blue or covered in angry red welts that left no question that they were done by a belt. Not to mention, Marks earlier concern that Ethan was extremely light was suddenly very clear. Ethan was unbelievably skinny. His ribs stuck out of his skin and his stomach caved painfully. Whatever had happened clearly hadn’t been a onetime thing, this was _months_ of pain and mark wanted to kick himself that he hadn’t noticed.

“what- who did this to you” mark could hold the question back any longer, his voice sounding just as broken as Ethan felt.

Ethan shuddered clenching his eyes closed in an attempt to block the memories from his mind before he spoke the one word everyone had been desperate to hear.

“Jason”


End file.
